Broken
by kimablay90
Summary: She really shouldn't be thinking about this again. It's been three years. And yet, here she is. Sitting in her house at two in the morning, alone, a bottle of Jack in her hand, remembering the very last time she let her heart get broke. As soon as midnight hit, her body jolted her awake. She knew it was the anniversary. It happened every year.- Rated M mostly for language. Angst!
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hey guys. So this is going to be a very slow burn angst. I keep getting blocked in my stories and not know where to take them. I'm not giving up on my other two, but I really need some angst in my life. The Bechloe angst always gets me. Especially when it's a broken Beca. I honestly don't know where this one is going to end up. My goal is to rip all of your hearts out. Is that legal? Anyways. Enjoy. Rated M mostly for language. If there ends up being smut, it probably won't be Bechloe for a very long time.

 **Sometimes, the best revenge is to smile and move on.**

She really shouldn't be thinking about this again. It's been three years. And yet, here she is. Sitting in her house at two in the morning, alone, a bottle of Jack in her hand, remembering the very last time she let her heart get broke. As soon as midnight hit, her body jolted her awake. She knew it was the anniversary. It happened every year.

 _ **Three years ago**_

" _You promised me Chloe. You told me I could trust you. You fought so hard to get through my defenses. I told you why I had them. You swore to me that you would be different. And yet here we are. Fuck this." Beca said as tears streamed down her face. She tried not to let the tears fall. Crying was pointless. She just needed to leave. This apartment wasn't her home anymore. This is now the place she caught Chloe cheating. The couch smelled like him now. Chloe smelled like him now. Just looking at the redhead made her heart feel like it was in a vise grip, Chloe holding the handle, slowly tightening it every second that Beca kept her eyes on her. Beca stood up from the couch and went to the bedroom that was no longer hers. She hoped that her clothes wouldn't smell like him. She wasn't sure how many times he had been there. She didn't even want to know._

" _Baby, please! Let's just talk about this." Chloe begged. Tears rushing down her face. "I'm sorry. Just let me explain."_

 _Beca broke. Hearing Chloe call her that made her snap. Not in a violent way. No. No matter what Chloe did, she would never lay a hand on her. No the snap happened in her heart. It didn't hurt any more. It disappeared. She couldn't feel the achy beat anymore. She couldn't feel the blood rushing through her veins that made her skin feel like tiny bugs were crawling all over her. She was grateful. She didn't know how much longer she could take it. The tears stopped as well. She stood up from where she was kneeling by her dresser. "First," Beca said coldly "don't call me that. You no longer have the right. Don't even call me Beca. In fact. Don't call me anything. I gave up LA for you. I stayed here, working at a shit label with shit hours for you. I picked up gigs at shit clubs, for you." The whole time Beca talked, she didn't shed a single tear. Her emotions were gone. Not only did Chloe break her heart, she broke her entire being. She couldn't feel a thing._

" _Beca! You were never here! And when you were, your mind was completely on work! This last month, I only saw you when I would wake up with you coming into the bed! You barely even talked to me on the phone, most of our conversations were through text!"_

" _So you're telling me that you cheated on me because for the last month, of our three year relationship, I wasn't around enough? Really?"_

" _No! It's been longer than that. It's been spiraling for a year Beca! This past month has just been the worst of it. I can't handle a relationship like that! I need affection. You know me! You know how much I crave touching someone." Chloe sobbed. She just had to make Beca understand. She never wanted to hurt her. She just felt so lonely._

" _Yeah Chloe, I know. Except for some odd reason, I thought you only wanted it from me. I was stupid." Beca sighed and shook her head. She reached into her right pocket and pulled a little box out. Chloe gasped and more tears came tumbling down her face. "This was why I spent this whole year working so hard. I wanted to make sure I could provide you a proper life. This past month I'd been planning the perfect way to propose. Well at least I thought it was perfect. Do you realise what today is Chloe? It's our third anniversary. That's why I'm here so early. That's why I caught you. You couldn't even keep it in your pants on our fucking anniversary." Beca chuckled. She tossed the box on the bed next to Chloe. "Keep it. I don't need it anymore. Good luck Beale. Hope everything works out for you. I truly do." Beca walked over to Chloe and placed one last kiss on her forehead._

 _Chloe grabbed on to Beca's shirt, sobbing she cried out "Please Beca! Please don't do this to us!"_

" _I didn't do this. And I won't take the blame either. This is on you." With those last words, Beca grabbed her bag that held her laptop and wallet. That's really all that mattered. She could buy new clothes. They probably smelled like him anyways. She pried Chloe's trembling hands off of her shirt, and walked back out into the living room. Took one last look, then walked out the front door._

 **Present**

It had been three years, and she still couldn't feel anything. She could fake it, sure. None of the Bella's even knew that Chloe had broken her heart. The phone calls after the breakup were frantic. They all wondered where Beca had gone. She managed to convince them all that she was fine, and that she found a job in LA and was moving. As the months passed, the calls slowly stopped coming through. That was Beca's fault and she knew it. She pushed them away. Short responses to texts. Always declining visits if anyone was in town. Not taking any interest in anything any of them had to say. Finally she just changed her number. She didn't need a reminder of the person that tore her soul from her body. She didn't need to see the old, happy her in her friends memories. That part of her was gone.

Really she should thank the redhead. I mean. If it weren't for her cheating, she wouldn't be living in this mansion. She wouldn't hold multiple Grammys. She wouldn't have opened up her own label a year ago. Yeah. Beca has done pretty well for herself, post breakup. She doesn't sing though. No. That part of her is gone as well. That took emotion that she just didn't have any more. But she can lay down a beat like no one else. And that had provided her this new life.

Yet here she is. Two in the morning. Drinking by herself. This day was always the worst. Not only was it her and Chloe's anniversary, but also the anniversary of her 'death'.

Every year she would try to get a piece of herself back. She would think about everything. Over and over again. She tried for tears, laughter, anger. Anything. Anything that could make her feel _something._ But it never worked. She would spend at least the week surrounding that day trying. Nothing ever came. So she drank. Hoping, maybe, that the alcohol would release something in her. She just needed to know that she was still human, and not some shell. This empty vessel. Yet here she is. Drunk out of her mind, still no emotions.

XXXX

Chloe spent that night at Aubrey's. Every year. Aubrey was the only one who knew exactly what happened. And no, Chloe didn't ruin her life that night. She finished vet school. She has a great job. Loads of friends, and even a lover every now and then. A girl has needs. But that particular day, every year, she couldn't function.

"Chloe, look, you know I love you right?" Aubrey sighed as she walked into her living room, where her best friend was lying in the fetal position on her couch. Not crying. Just staring blankly out into the world.

"Course Bree. Love you too."

"Ok good, then you'll forgive me for what I'm about to say" Aubrey waited for a response, but none came. She sighed. "Chloe, it's been three years. I've never said this, because I thought I needed to be there for you. Considering you are my best friend. But. I think it's been long enough for me to tell you how I feel."

Chloe sat up and looked at Aubrey. "What is it Bree?"

"Chloe, you're not the only one that lost her. We all did. I haven't even tried to speak with her since it happened, because I knew she would hate me for being there for you. The rest of the Bella's tried, but they lost her too. She didn't want anything to do with them. And yeah, that's messed up on her part. They are her family. But I kind of can't blame her. She loved you with everything she had. She gave you all of herself. And when you ripped her heart out, you ripped all of it out. Not just for you. But for everyone. Chlo, I miss her. I miss that little midget, and so do the rest of the girls. No one can even contact her anymore. Her number was changed six months after the breakup. Her social media is ran by her manager, I'm sure. No way in hell Beca posts that shit. Fat Amy tried getting through to her by way of her new label, and still nothing." Aubrey sighed.

"What do you want me to do Aubrey? It's not like I can just call her up and be like 'Hey Beca, remember me? Well I'm gonna need you to stop ignoring the rest of the Bellas.' And even if she would listen, it's not like I could call her anyways. You said it yourself. New number."

"I know what I said Chlo, and I said it for a reason. It's been three years Chloe, and I think you know by now that I don't hate you for what happened. Now, I need Beca not to hate the rest of us. The other girls don't know what happened. Most of them think she fucked it up with you. Hell, Stacie doesn't even want to talk to her because she thinks Beca broke your heart. To me, that's just not right. This has been eating at me. Being the only one who knows the truth. I can't take it anymore. I'm going to give you a week, Chlo. One week to tell the girls everything. Then I am going to go to LA and find that hobbit and make her listen to me."

Chloe just stared at her best friend. She really didn't know what to say. She knew that Beca and Aubrey had become friends after their first ICCA win, but she didn't realise Bree was hurting so much. "Ok, I'll tell them." Chloe sighed. "But I'm not going to do it today. I can't. Today is too hard. I just want to relax and watch shitty TV with you. Maybe even get drunk off cheap wine. Can we do that?"

"Sure Chlo. What are you thinkin? Jersey Shore reruns? Little women? Anything but the Bachelor. I can't handle that much shittyness."

Chloe laughed. If she was going to tell the rest of the Bellas what she did. She needed one last night that she wasn't a horrible person. She just knew that the girls would hate her. Especially Fat Amy. Beca was her best friend. Though Amy didn't know it, she was the reason Amy lost Beca. Beca was their captain. Beca was their leader. She did more for the Bellas than Aubrey or Chloe ever dreamed to.

Chloe stared blankly at the TV while thoughts of Beca ran through her mind. _Not only was Beca a great leader, she used to be a great friend. Sure she was standoffish in the beginning, but through time, all the girls broke down her walls. Not just me. Sure I was the one that got to touch her the most, but everyone could tell that Beca loved them. She'd do anything for them. Her snarky attitude always kept the girls laughing. Her sarcasm was always perfectly timed. That damn smirk could break even Aubrey fucking Posen. She was so cocky. So fucking confident. Most people thought she was insecure because of her intimacy issues. She wasn't though. She just didn't much care for people. That didn't change much over time. Only allowing the Bellas in. But she was damn confident. An for good reason. She knew she was talented. She didn't even let Aubrey break her down her freshman year, and Aubrey could break anyone down. She was so fucking sexy too. God, and the things she could do with that body! Ok, enough. I have to stop doing this to myself. I shouldn't be thinking about her like this. It's my fault I don't have her anymore. I fucked it up. I'm that one that chose not to talk to her about what was bothering me when shit started going down hill. I have no right to be thinking about a very naked Beca. Ugh_ "I'm gonna go shower then go to bed. Can I borrow pajamas? I forgot some."

"Sure Chlo." Aubrey said as she started cleaning up. Chloe would normally help her, but once a year was the exception. Aubrey didn't mind really. She knew Chloe regretted what she did. This day always just brought it all back. It probably wouldn't be so bad, but it was a double anniversary. One happy, and one very very bad. She's just glad Chloe didn't throw her whole life away about it.

Once Chloe was done with her very cold shower, she went straight to Aubrey's spare bedroom and tried to get some sleep. Thoughts of Beca and the Bellas filling her mind. She didn't know how she was going to tell the girls. She didn't know how she was going to handle losing her family. All she could do was stare at the ceiling the whole night. Not one minute of sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey guys. Wow. I guess people love the angst lol. This chapter is a pretty long one. There wasn't as much heavy angst in it as the last so I needed to make up for it some how. Don't worry. Plenty of heavy angst coming. Thanks for all the reviews. For some reason I can only see some on the story and the rest are only popping up in my email.**

 **madammayor28- Don't worry. It pisses me off in other stories when Chloe fucks up and Beca just forgives her. I honestly don't know who Beca will end up with at the end of this story. It will definitely be a Bella though, you're right, it'd be weird for anyone else. Do I know if Beca will take Chloe back eventually? I honestly have no clue. Like I said, just feeling it out. But I do plan on making Chloe pay. I want her to be even more broken than Beca at some point. I really need to see her suffer. Like, bad.**

 **Anyways. Thanks guys for following. Hope this long chapter makes up for the little angst. Just needed to show how Beca has been 'coping' around other people. Also needed a way for people to find Beca to get this story goin.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Lies and heartbreak.**

Chloe finally got out of bed at 7 in the morning. She knew what she had to do. She spent the entire night thinking about it. It was now time to put that plan into action. She knew the girls would be furious, but she finally let herself hope that they wouldn't abandon her. That was the only thing that got her through her nerves. Hope. She sent out a group text. She wanted to make sure all of the girls heard at once.

*Group chat*

Chloe- Hey guys, we need to set up a time for all of us to skype together. I have some things I need to get off my chest and I need you all to hear it at the same time. I love you guys.

Stacie- This about Beca? Time for you to get over that bitch! Fuck her!

Flo- I'm free all day. Juice truck in the shop.

Amy- Stace, no offense, stfu. Any time Chlo. Just say when.

The rest of the chat went about the same way. They all finally agreed to a chat at noon. Aubrey of course agreed to be there with Chloe. Neither of them had to work that day, so Aubrey spent most of the morning trying to keep Chloe calm.

Come noon, Chloe was hyperventilating. Aubrey couldn't really blame her, if the roles were reversed, she's sure she'd have the house covered in vomit by now. "Ok Chlo, I'm gonna fire up skype. Just breathe. We can start slow. Just say hi. Ok?"

"Yeah" Chloe let out between gasps. "Let's just get this over with."

Aubrey brought Skype up and the girls all started calling in. One by one everyone said their helloes. "Ok guys, give Chloe time to say her piece before you all start jumping in please." They all agreed. Aubrey looked at Chloe and gave her a nod. She sat to her side but was still in view of the camera.

"Ok guys," Chloe said "this isn't going to be easy to tell you, and it's not going to be easy for you to hear. I need you all to know I love you very much. Please let me say what I have to say, and then I will listen to absolutely everything any of you have to say."

The girls nodded.

"Ok. So as you all know. Three years ago, Beca left." She saw anger and confusion hit all of their faces. Except Amy's. There was only sadness there. "Most of you, if not all of you, think it was her fault. The truth is, it was all on me. I'm just going to be blunt about it. Beca walked in on me cheating on her."

"What the fuck Chloe!?" Amy yelled. The rest of the girls just had shick written across their faces, even Stacie.

"Please AMy, I'm so sorry. Just let me talk please! I need to get this all out." Chloe let her tears fall. "I'm so sorry to all of you. It is my fault you lost her. And I know you may end up saying that it's still her fault because she let all of you go, but try and remember how Beca was when we first met her. Can you really see it going any differently? Maybe if we had broken up on better terms, sure. But not with how it happened. I'm not going to try and justify my cheating. There is no way it was right, no matter what was going on. And I can't even try to explain why I didn't tell you guys. I just-" Chloe sighed "I had already lost Beca. I didn't want to lose you guys too. That is the only reason I have. I am so sorry."

Amy didn't even try to talk. She just let some tears fall and then hung up. Most of the girls just said to give them time and hung up as well. The only ones who stayed on were Stacie and Lilly. Lilly just sat there and stared. It was starting to scare Chloe until Stacie piped in. "So you're telling me, all this time, you let me hate Beca? You let me believe that she fucked up and broke her heart? Chloe! I was mad at her because she had given her dad so much shit for cheating and I thought she was a hypocrite! How could you do that? You knew how she was! You knew she would leave if she found out! Is that what you wanted? Were you too chicken shit to just leave? You had to force her to be the one to leave? Is that it?" Stacie was fuming. Her face almost as red as Chloe's hair, tears streaming down her cheeks. Stacie loved Beca. She looked up to her. She was just as confident as Stacie, only in different ways. Stacie admired that. She thought Beca tricked her all along. That was why she took it so hard. It's difficult to watch your idol crumble.

"Stace I swear that's not what I wanted to happen! I love- I mean, I loved her. I never mea-"

Stacie hung up. Lilly just kept staring until Aubrey piped in. "Lilly, do you have something you need to say?" Lilly just hung up.

Chloe sobbed and Aubrey pulled her into her side. "It's ok,sweetie. Just give them time. They'll forgive you. They love you. They're just shocked, that's all."

XXXX

Beca finally woke up, after drinking so much the day before. The anniversary was always the worst and she was glad it was over. She still had a few days off from work, just like every year. The only thing she felt was the throbbing in her head. It was kind of nice. Just having something to feel, other than emptiness. Beca never contemplated cutting, but she could definitely see why some choose that route. She just couldn't stand the seeing that much of her own blood. Other people's? Sure. Not her own though. Her self harm was going all the way to her liver. She wouldn't be surprised if it shut down within the next five years. She's pretty sure she's the main reason the local liquor store is still in business.

As she got up, she decided to skip the aspirin just to feel the throb a while longer. As she descended the stairs, she heard a familiar voice in her foyer. "No. I'll tell her. Just keep your mouth shut about it."

"Good morning Donald. Why are you in my house and shouting. I have three days left of vacation." Donald was a guy she went to college with. He was a Treblemaker. The sworn enemies of the Bellas. Well, that was until the end of her freshman year. Donald and her were never close, and he graduated the end of her first year. She ran into him two years ago, right when she was looking for a manager. He had made a pretty good name for himself, and she didn't have any memories of him really. She decided to give him a chance, considering him and Jesse (her ex) weren't close either. Donald was very much into his own thing, and Beca could respect that. She trusted him to do what was best for her because the more money she made, the more money he made. And that's what makes the world go round right?

"Hey Mitchell. Sorry. I know you're on your vacation. There's an issue. That's what I was on the phone yelling about."

"Ok? And do you plan on telling me what the issue is? Or are you going to make me guess between the millions of different possibilities."

"Ha. Funny. No. Well. You see. Uh." Donald was stuttering. He never stutters. This might actually be bad and not just Donald screaming about Beca's intern breaking another keyboard. "So. The thing is Beca. Remember that DJ you brought home with you a few weeks ago?"

Yep. She knew where this was going. Well. She had a pretty good idea anyways. This chick wanted money, or she would tell the whole world how much Beca drank and how she wouldn't kiss her. She only fucked her then kicked her out. It's happened a few times. She never pays, and the girls always fold. "How much does this one want? A million? Two million? My label signed over to her?" She grinned and sipped her coffee, the 'emotion' never reaching her eyes. She's good at faking. If it were someone that knew her well, they'd know it wasn't real. But she cut everyone off that really knew her. No one in her life knew she wasn't happy. Not a single soul, and Beca liked it that way.

"Well. She doesn't actually want anything. She kind of took pictures of you two in bed. If you ever actually looked at you social media, you'd see. She tagged you in all of it. Instagram. Twitter. Snapchat. Hell, even Facebook. People still use that shit, can you believe it? Anyways. She has the whole world believing you two are together."

Well. That's new. "Do I look good?"

"What?" Donald said, legitimately looking confused.

"Do I look good? In the picture. Do I look good?"

Donald rolled his eyes. "Uh well. You're laying on your stomach but you can tell you definitely don't have clothes on. You can only see the side of your face so. You know what. Just look at it. It's everywhere." Donald handed Beca his phone knowing that she wouldn't do it herself.

"Eh not too bad. She's not too bad either. Guess my beer goggles were pretty clear that night."

"Why are you not freaking out? This bitch is crazy!"

Beca sighed and rolled her eyes. "Donald. I don't really give a shit what this chick has to say. People are going to believe what they want to believe. The minute I have another itch that needs scratched, I'll be sure to confiscate their phone."

"Oh my god, Mitchell, you can't just let this slide. You need to make a public statement. You need to say something. This girl has the whole world believing you two are together. She could say all kinds of shit about you that isn't true and the world would believe her. All because of that stupid picture!"

Beca sat on her couch and Donald followed. "Ok Donald. You clearly care about this, so what do you want me to do? You know I don't do interviews. Never have. I don't do press conferences. I don't do talk shows. None of it. And I'm not going to start now. So what do you suggest?"

Donald smiled. He was hoping Beca would say that. He had the perfect plan. Of course, it benefited him as well. "So, since you don't like doing interview but people won't believe a tweet is coming from you, we are going to make a video and post it on every platform we can think of. I will be in it with you, that way you don't have to do all the talking. But first I need you to make yourself look presentable. You look like shit."

Beca rolled her eyes. Of course this was his goal. He wanted his face in front of the camera. She didn't mind though. As long as he did her right, she'd boost him up as long as he wanted. She didn't care about the fame. She didn't care about anything. She made music because she was good at it and that was all she knew. She had to eat and have a roof over her head. Music provided that. Granted, it provided and huge roof and great food, but she would be just as- whatever the hell she was- eating Taco Bell every night in a studio apartment. But she's pretty sure she couldn't even flip a burger. So she just stuck with music.

Beca got up and went to walk back up her stairs. "Call Aiden. I'm not doing my own hair and makeup." Donald smiled. Some things never change.

Beca decided to go ahead and take a shower. Might as well wash the grime of yesterday's alcohol induced sweat off of her. She knew she should be mad about what was going on. She knew this chick was crazy. Yet here she is, just doing what Donald wanted her to do.

As she showered, she tried forcing emotions out. If anything, anger should be the easiest. She thought about all the people that fucked her over in her life. All the people that left. Her best friend when she was eight, turned on her and started bullying her with the other popular kids. Her high school boyfriends and girlfriends, although they kind of made of popular. Guys thought a bi chick was hot. And let's face it. Straight girls like to experiment, and Beca was very willing. Straight girl crushes are hard to get over though. Her dad leaving. Her mom dying. Jesse leaving. Sheila leaving her dad, which meant her as well. The girl, Toni, who she dated between Jesse and Chloe. She winded up being a bitch but she left Beca as well. Then came Chloe. All the others didn't compare to her. Beca didn't want to fall in love. Not after what happened between her mom and dad. That's probably why Jesse and Toni left. But Chloe didn't let Beca push her away. She forced her to see the good in people.

That's why Chloe cheating, broke her. She knew people sucked. Knew it in her bones. No one actually cared enough about another person in order for true love to exist. If Chloe Beale could screw her over, then anyone could. But Chloe tricked her. Made her believe it was real. For three whole years, Beca was stupidly happy. Now she couldn't even get back to how she felt before she met Chloe. At least she felt something back then. She felt cocky. Angry. Stressed. At times she was happy. Sad. All kinds of emotions, but she never let herself feel love. She should've listened to herself. She should've ran from Chloe. At least she'd still be able to feel joy. She might even be able to sing. She's just a shell now.

As she thought about all these things, she just felt more and more numb. She wasn't even sure how it was possible. How can someone with no emotions, feel even less? Then she realised that the water was freezing. "Oh" She turned the water off and go out. As she got dressed, her whole body trembled. Turns out, she was in the shower for over an hour. Which is why all the hot water was gone.

Once she was dressed, she went downstairs. Aiden patiently waiting with his work station set up in her den. Donald typing away at his laptop. Probably announcing the upcoming video. "Hey Aiden. Ready to turn me into a real girl? Make me all pretty?"

"Oh honey. I don't have to do much" Aiden said as he turned to look at Beca. "Christ!"

"No. Just Beca. But I can see why you'd think so." Beca smirked at him.

"Oh honey! Haven't you been sleeping? Those circles look make you look like you've been punched in both eyes!"

"You're so damn dramatic! I just drank too much last night." Beca said as she sat in his chair.

"And how is that different from any other night?" Aiden. Always the voice of dramatics.

"Well." Beca smiled. "Usually I can't start drinking until I'm out of the office. Yesterday, I didn't have anyone to give me dirty looks and scold me. So I got to drink all day, plus my usual night drinking."

Aiden just rolled his eyes and got to work. Two hours later, Beca was a new woman. Well not really, she was just shinier. Looked less tired.

"Ok Donald. Ready to get the show on the road?"

"Damn Mitchell! No wonder you keep him around! I knew there was a reason people found you attractive." Donald patted himself on the back for that one. Beca had to admit it was pretty good. "Anyways. Yeah I'm ready. I figured we could do this live on YouTube and then share it everywhere else. Your fans will believe it more, if we don't have time to edit anything."

"So let me get this straight. You want me to just wing it? You? My manager?"

"Um yeah. That's kinda the plan. And I've already announced it everywhere, so you can't back out now."

"I wasn't planning on it. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing. There's a reason I don't do interviews after all."

XXXX

Aubrey had been trying to keep Chloe off of her phone after she got done skyping the girls. She had seen where Beca was dating someone. She was happy for Beca. For three years, she hadn't heard of her friend being with anyone. Which was very surprising because Beca made it big and the paparazzi seemed to follow everything she did, but nothing was ever said of her love life. She was glad that Beca was still able to let someone in, but Chloe was already having a horrible day and she wasn't sure how she would take it.

Chloe was surfing through YouTube on her laptop when she noticed that Beca was trending. She clicked the link. Her manager said they would be live streaming at 5pm to discuss Beca's current love life. Chloe's heart sunk. She didn't realise Beca had a love life. She kept track of her. Made sure she was doing ok. Never once was there a mention of someone else. _Of course there is dumb ass! It's been three fucking years! Did you really think she was just sitting there waiting for you! She's probably about to announce an engagement or something! Beca has always been private, of course she was able to keep her relationship out of the media!_ Chloe looked over to Aubrey who was staring at her like she saw a ghost.

"Chloe. Don't." Aubrey said, scared as hell that Chloe was about to have another attack. She had watched Chloe pull up YouTube. She thought it would be safe. It's fucking YouTube for crying out loud. But when she looked over Chloe's shoulder, she saw the headline and froze.

"I'm fine. Perfectly fine. I'm just going to shower." Chloe stood up and headed for the bathroom. Yeah, she showered the night before, but she felt dirty all over again.

Aubrey went over to the laptop. She saw the announcement and checked her watch. Three minutes until 5 PM. _Fuck it. Chloe's in the shower anyways. Might as well see what the midget is up to._

Aubrey clicked on the link and found that she was one of the thousands of viewers waiting. As soon as 5 hit, Beca's face appeared. Along with someone who looked really familiar but Aubrey couldn't place him.

Beca looked amazing. Not a hair out of place. Smile plastered on her face. Aubrey could tell it wasn't a genuine smile though. She knew Beca's smile, and that wasn't it. She chalked it up to being nerves. She knew Beca didn't do interviews. She had looked plenty of times.

 ***VIDEO***

B- "Hey guys. Beca Mitchell here. So there have been some things being said about me, and I just wanted to clear the air."

D- "Yeah, so as you all may know, my name is Donald and I'm Beca's manager. We decided a public video was the best way to explain the situation." _Donald turned to look at Beca._ "Why don't you tell everyone about this so called girlfriend of yours?"

B- "Thanks Donald, well, to clear things up, I do not have a girlfriend. Period. Yes, the girl who threw that picture out there for you all to see, was in my bed. To be blunt. We had sex. That's it. I don't know how she got the impression that I wanted anything more, considering she was out of my house within 10 minutes of me waking up, but that's the truth. I don't do relationships. I don't do drama. And I definitely don't do love."

D- "Is there anything else you'd like to add? Maybe give your fans some insight into that gifted head of yours?"

B- "Yeah actually. To anyone who plans on doing something similar in the future, just remember, it won't end up any differently than it did today. I've had plenty of people who tried to take advantage of the fact that I slept with them. It's not going to work. I don't care what you threaten me with. I have fun. And occasionally I hook up with people. But that's it. That's all it will ever be. Don't come looking for money, or fame, or love, because you won't get it from me. It's as simple as that. On a lighter note, I appreciate all of my fans and just a little heads up, Ariana's newest album will be dropping next month."

Donald and Beca both waved at the camera before stopping the feed.

Aubrey sat there in shock. Now she remembered exactly who Donald was. Why the hell did Beca have a Treblmaker as her manager? Why the hell was he allowed in her life when the Bellas weren't? Was she back with Jesse? No. Couldn't be. She wouldn't be admitting to sleeping with people if she were. Plus he turned into a duech after he dumped Beca. Why did Beca not have a hint of emotion in her eyes? Surely this chick lying about being with her would've pissed Beca off. It would've pissed the Beca she knew off, that's for sure. Did Beca really change that much? It's only been three years. Could someone change that much?

Aubrey shook her head and went off to her room. She wasn't going to wait another 6 days before finding Beca. Chloe didn't take near as long to tell the girls as she thought she would. Nothing holder her back now. She had been carrying this guilt inside her for far too long.

As she reached bedroom to pack, her phone started singing like crazy. She quickly dug her phone out of her pocket and looked at the texts coming in. They were all on the group chat that Chloe had added her to earlier.

Stacie- "Why the hall is Donald with Beca?"

Fat Amy- "Does it really matter? Did you see her? She looked awful!"

CR- "Were we watching the same video, because shawty looked hot as hell!"

Fat Amy- "ok well physically, yes, fabulous. But. She was just so blah! She kinda gave me the chills. Her voice was so empty! Barely recognized my Shawshank."

Ashley- "Maybe she's just tired. I'm sure she's super busy."

Jessica- "Yeah Ash is right."

Lilly- "I ate nachos earlier. They tasted like death!"

Emily- "Guys I'm sure she's fine. She just doesn't like the spotlight all that much. I mean, she doesn't even sing anymore. Maybe she's just nervous."

Fat Amy- "Legacy! Stop talking! The grown ups are conversing right now. Just sit back and observe."

Stacie- "I still want to know what's up with Donald. I don't even remember her hanging out with him back in Barden."

Aubrey- "You're right Stace. I thought it was weird too. I'm going to go look for her. I really just need to talk with her. Somehow."

Lilly- "I could make Donald talk. Tell you where she's at."

Aubrey- "Really? Like in a totally legal, non threatening way? I really have no idea where to start except 'LA'. When you google her label, it doesn't even give you an address."

Lilly- "..."

Aubrey sighed and tucked her phone back in her pocket. Chloe came walking into her room as she was throwing clothes in her suitcase.

"Where are you going Bree?!" Chloe said, slight panic lacing her voice.

"I told you Chlo. I'm going to LA. I'm gonna make this right with Beca. It's just something I have to do."

"Yeah, but you said a week Aubrey! This is a day! One day!" Chloe was officially freaking the fuck out. She just found out that Beca was seeing someone else. Probably engaged to someone else. She needed her best friend but her best friend was off to see her ex! What the actual fuck?

"Chloe. I need you to listen to me. There is no reason to hold this off any longer. Beca may not need the rest of us, but we need her. She is a part of us and ever since she left, none of us have felt whole. For you, it's unavoidable. I know that. You broke up. But the rest of us didn't have a say in the matter." Aubrey walked over to Chloe and pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you Chlo. Maybe you should go too. You used to be bestfriends after all. It may take a while. But maybe you can have her in your life again. I know that would make you happy."

Chloe sobbed into Aubrey's shoulder. She knew she was right. She missed Beca more and more each day. "It's not like I can just up and leave Bree. I have responsibilities here."

"Oh what, and I don't? Chloe I'm a fucking doctor. I have patients who are going to have to see other doctors because their primary took a random fucking sabbatical."

"A sabbatical?! What?! You're leaving for a fucking year?! What the hell Aubrey?!"

"Chloe, do you really think I can talk Beca into being around me and the rest of the Bellas in just a few days? It took a whole year for us to become just ok with each other!"

Chloe sobbed. "I can't do it Aubrey! I can't be without my best friend for a whole year!"

"Chloe. Snap out of it! It's not like we won't see each other. You can come visit anytime you want. And I will come back regularly to check on the house. I am renting it out. The new tenants already have their keys and will be moving in here in two weeks. All I'm taking with me is my clothes. They're going to use the furniture and everything already here. You can use my car if you want. I know you like it better anyways."

"Tenants? Jesus, Aubrey! How long have you been planning this?"

Aubrey sighed. "Six months."

"Six months? And you're just now springing this on me? Do I really mean so little to you?!" Chloe fell on the ground sobbing. Curled in the fetal position.

Aubrey rolled her eyes and squatted down to put her hand on Chloe's back. _This girl is so damn dramatic._ "Chloe. Chloe look at me." Aubrey huffed. "God damn it Chloe Beale open your eyes and look at me!" Aubrey snapped. Chloe relented and looked at her. "Chloe. You know I love you. You're my best friend. My sister. But this isn't about you. It's not even about my guilt any more. After seeing that video, I finally realized I put this off for far too long. This is about Beca. She needs help. And I may not be the person she'd expect or want to be there for her, but I'm going to be anyways."

"Video? What video?"

Aubrey sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Just get back on YouTube Chloe. Watch the video. I have to go."

By the time Aubrey was finally able to leave her house, she had received multiple texts from the group chat. All from Lilly. She let the whole group know where Beca lived and where her studio was at. She also got the make and model of all of her cars. The names of the people on her security team. Her secretary's name. And Donald's number. She couldn't get Beca's, but Aubrey was thankful for what she got, and didn't even consider asking Lilly how she got all of the information.

XXXX

It was about midnight. Beca had finally gotten rid of Donald at about 10. He just had to stay long enough to know the fans' reactions to the video. He needed to make sure Beca didn't piss too many people off with her careless words. To both of their surprise, the fans seemed to love it. They loved how Beca was so blunt. They loved how she owned her sexuallity and didn't let anyone bring her down about it. Donald was extremely pleased and left. Beca just decided to start drinking. She had stayed sober all day and she was starting to shake, can't have that.

At precisely 12:05, there was a knock on her door. She had only been drinking for 2 hours so she was kind of tipsy but definitely not drunk yet. She thought Donald may have forgotten something so she went and answered the door. Next thing she knew she was being slapped across the face, quite hard, and heard a familiar voice say "What the fuck, Beca!"

 **A/N Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger. Really am sorry for any mistakes. No one to proof read for me. Stay tuned.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Hey guys. Thanks for all the reviews. I am taking them into consideration, I promise. Just know that this is going to be slow burn. No matter what the end game is, it's going to take a while. No Chloe in this chapter, just mentions of her. We can't really have good angst until we get Beca feeling again, and we can't get that without the Bellas! And yes. They are both so broken. Which is why I named it Broken lol. I don't want quick forgiveness here for Chloe.**

 **Whether Beca takes her back or not, she will suffer. That's just how it's going to be. If they end up back together, they would have to work through a lot of shit. I hate it when people take someone back, but they're still not over the infidelity. That's not fair to anyone. And let's face it, Beca will want revenge in some form. Who wouldn't? Ok maybe some people wouldn't, but I would, and I'm writing it so... Revenge it is lol.**

 **Anyways. Please enjoy. Hope you like it. Let me know what you think. It helps.**

 **Unrelenting forces.**

"What the fuck me? What the fuck you? What the hell are you doing here Stacie!" Beca was pissed. Stacie fucking Conrad just slapped her! _Wait! I'm pissed! I'm angry! Holy shit!_ It wasn't much. Yeah she was angry but it wasn't overpowering. It was just barely there, but Beca latched onto it. That was the first time she had felt anything in a very long time. She tried to force more up. She felt a tiny beat in her heart when she was slapped. She craved it now. She needed more. She wanted to fight!

"I'm here because you ran off three fucking years ago!"

Beca stepped up to Stacie and put on the angriest face she could muster. She may not feel that mad, but hopefully she could fake it. "I know what the fuck I did three years ago Stacie! I want to know what the fuck you're doing here!"

Stacie recoiled a little. Not from the horrible glare Beca tried to pull off, but from the look in her eyes. They were cold. Empty. Like she didn't give two shits about Stacie. Or what she walked in on and away from three years ago. It was honestly terrifying. The Beca she knew, wasn't this cold. Tears started forming in Stacie's eyes. "Why did you leave Beca? Why did you leave all of us behind?"

Beca felt a pang in her chest. An actual fucking pang. She hadn't seen any of the Bellas since before she walked out on Chloe, and inadvertently, on the rest of the girls. This was guilt she was feeling. She tried holding on to this as well. She started thinking of every shitty thing she had ever done, just to feel that pang in her chest one more time. She thought about how when she was ten, she stole that pack of gum from the local convenience store. The time when she was fourteen when she outed one of the guys at school. He was a bully, but no one ever deserves that. That time she sliced three of her step monsters tires when she was 16. The time she ruined the Bellas semi finals. When she got with Jesse, knowing she couldn't give him what he wanted. Sure there was more, but those were the worst things she could think of at the moment. She just kept replaying them over and over.

Stacie watched as Beca's eyes glazed over. Beca wasn't even looking at her anymore. She watched as a tiny glint appeared in her eye. And as fast as it arrived, it disappeared. Stacie sighed, which seemed to have brought Beca out of her daze.

Beca focused back on Stacie, all of the anger now gone. She sighed "What do you want Stacie?"

Tears formed in Stacie's eyes. She felt an enormous amount of guilt. "Can I-" She had to cough to break up the lump in her throat. She sighed again and looked up trying to blink away tears. "Can I please come in Beca? We really need to talk."

"It's late Stacie."

"Yeah, it's pretty fucking late, and I didn't exactly have time to book a hotel before heading out here. So, you can either let me in and talk to me, or let me sleep on the street."

Beca rolled her eyes. _Stacie is so fucking dramatic. When the hell did that happen? It's not like she can't find a hotel in Los Angeles. Fuck my life._ "Fine. Come on."

Stacie smiled. She knew that would work. Beca may be a lot of things, but an asshole isn't one of them. As Stacie walked passed Beca and into the house, her eyes almost fell out of their sockets. She knew the house was huge. You can see that from the outside. The inside though, it was ridiculous. So massive. The ceiling was so high, it made you feel like an insect. As Stacie got her bearings back, and the awe of the place started fading, she noticed something else. The house had no personality. It was very blank. As if it were set up as an open house or something. No pictures. No color. It was all black, white, or chrome. Sure, it was modern, but it said nothing of who Beca was. _If Chloe lived here, it definitely wouldn't be like this._ Stacie shook her head at that thought. She wasn't here to really discuss all that. She was here to grovel. She felt supremely guilty for holding such a grudge against Beca.

Stacie knew she would forgive Chloe, but she wasn't about to tell Chloe that. She kinda wanted to make her sweat a bit. Her guilt was because she should've known Beca better. She used to see how much Beca loved Chloe. How could she think Beca would just leave? Or cheat? Or do anything that would hurt Chloe? "So, where do you want to talk?"

"Uh. Let's go to the den."

"Are you going to offer me a drink?" Stacie said as she followed Beca through the house.

"No, but if you want something, you can ask."

Stacie rolled her eyes. Beca is really starting to get on her nerves. "Ok. Well. Can I have something? Like a beer?"

"I don't have beer. I have whiskey."

 _For fucks sake. She's really gonna make me ask._ "Ok. Can I have some of that?"

"Sure." Beca said as she motioned for stacie to sit on one of the couches. She walked over to a small table in the corner of the room that held her whiskey. She fixed them both a glass and went to sit down on the recliner. As she handed Stacie her drink, she said "Ok. Talk."

Stacie took a sip of her drink. She's never been much of a whiskey person, but she'll take what she can get. She needs the liquid courage. "So. How have you been Beca? No one has heard from you in, well, forever."

"I'm fine Stacie. Ok if that's all you needed, I'll show you to a spare bedroom. You can sleep here tonight." Beca stood up.

"Wait Beca! Stop! Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me. I literally just said I was fine."

Stacie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Clearly, you're not. You never used to be this cold Beca. What the hell? You know what? No. You have a right to be cold towards me. I get it." Stacie paused for a minute to formulate what she wanted to say, in her head. "Beca. I came here to apologize. None of us knew why you left. Chloe never told us. I literally found out like twelve hours ago. That's why I'm here. This whole time, I blamed you. I should've known better, but, why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you let any of us be there for you? You just left!" Stacie cut herself off there. She wanted to give Beca time to respond.

Beca sat there thinking whether or not she should tell her. She knew why she didn't say anything. She knew why she left. But would Stacie understand? Could anyone understand? Even when she tried to explain it to herself, it was confusing. But, she had been trying to feel something for so long, maybe it was time to let someone help. After all, Stacie did bring out some emotions in her. Maybe she could actually help. Or she could think Beca was insane and then try and have her committed. She's pretty sure Donald wouldn't let Stacie lock up his money pit. She finally said fuck it to herself. What did she really have to lose? The worst that could happen is nothing changes. "Ok. What I'm about to say is going to sound really dumb and impossible. I swear it's all true though. When I came home that day, I walked into the apartment and saw some guy literally ramming his dick into Chloe. I stood in shock at first. I couldn't actually believe what I was seeing. Chloe was fucking someone on our couch. In our space. In my space. My brain couldn't comprehend it. And then I heard her moaning. I watched as she dug her nails into his back. I watched another person make the love of my life come. I started sobbing and fell to the ground right at our front door. I heard Chloe say 'oh my god' and I heard something hit the ground. I looked up and saw the guy on the floor and Chloe on the couch staring at me with her hand over her mouth. She started yelling at the guy, but I'm not really sure what all she said. He left in a hurry though, barely had his underwear on as he walked out the door. Chloe started talking to me but I couldn't think, so I let her guide me to the couch. When I finally looked at her, she was still fucking naked. I kind of lost it. I started telling her that she broke all her promises, pretty much. I didn't give her time to say anything. I ended up going into the room to pack, when she followed me, she started talking, and that's when something broke inside me. I didn't care anymore. About any of it. I stopped crying. I stopped being mad. I wasn't sad. I was just. Nothing. I didn't even think to tell any of you. I didn't see the point. I didn't want anyone's pity. I didn't want the questions. I just wanted to leave. So I did. When all of the girls started calling, I got annoyed at myself for not caring. I finally decided to cut them off. I didn't want more reminder of when I actually cared. I buried myself in work. And that's all I've been doing for three years Stacie. I've been trying to feel. I'm not a monster. I know it's not right for me to be like this. But I can't seem to repair whatever the hell Chloe broke. The first time I felt something, in the last three years, was when you showed up on my door. I felt anger, and then I felt guilt. But it was fleeting. It's gone now. I'm just empty again. Why would I bring other people into that?"

Stacie was shocked. Tears were in her eyes. Chloe never really said what all happened. But she definitely believed Beca. How could she not be broken? When someone like Beca actually falls in love, they fall hard. It's all consuming. And for her to have seen what she saw? Stacie couldn't imagine. "That doesn't sound crazy at all Beca. I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's not your fault Stacie."

"I know that. But that doesn't stop me from being sorry." Stacie said as she finally let tears fall from her eyes. "Are you still, you know, wanting to try? Like, to feel or whatever?"

"Of course I still want to try. I don't want to be like this Stacie."

"Well have you thought about maybe seeing a shrink?" Stacie winced at her own words. SHe knew Beca would never do that.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. Like, ever. Kudos to the people who can sit there and talk to a stranger about their issues, but that's not me."

"Yeah, no I know. Sorry. It just kind of came out. What about talking to people you do know?" Stacie said, a little more hopeful now that Beca didn't blow up at the shrink comment.

Beca got confused look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Well. I know all of the girls miss you. And. You said that you felt something when you saw me right? So maybe more of us would be able to help? Like, maybe you not having anyone around that you really know, had kept you in this sort of limbo. Maybe the Bellas could help. You're still our family Beca. No matter how long we've been apart."

Beca felt her heart squeeze and she smiled "It happened again Stace! I felt something! Shit, it's gone. Fuck! Why the fuck can't I be normal?"

"Beca, focus! See! The thought of the other girls being here made you feel something! Just. Think about it? Please?"

Beca thought about it for a moment. It made sense, kind of. I mean, if any of this can make any sense. "I'll think about it." Beca looked at the drink in her hand and noticed that she hadn't taken a drink. She sat it down on the table and looked back at Stacie. "I think that's enough for tonight. I'm gonna go to bed. Let me show you to a room."

Stacie nodded. No point in trying to talk more tonight. She needed to think. Come up with a plan. "Ok. But we're going to talk again tomorrow."

Beca rolled her eyes and sighed. "That sounds exhausting."

"But you didn't say no." Stacie smiled.

As Beca led Stacie out of the den, she heard a knock at the door. "Jesus, what the actual fuck is happening?" She walked to the door and threw it open. She was not mentally prepared for Aubrey fucking Posen to be at her door. "Jesus Christ Aubrey! It is 2 o'clock in the fucking morning. What the hell are you doing here?"

Aubrey stood in shock. She really wasn't planning on knocking. She was just going to make sure she knew how to get for. She was going to come back in the afternoon, but as soon as she got here, her brain kind of shut off and her body just went on instinct. Now that she was standing in front of Beca, she really had no idea what to say. Aubrey Posen, speechless.

"Hello! Earth to Aubrey! What do you want!" Beca was angry and she was loving it. Aubrey was always able to bring out the anger in Beca, she was glad to see that hadn't changed. She could feel the tips of her ears burning. It was great.

 _Well_ Aubrey thought _I guess I was right. She's pissed at me._ "Um. Hi. Uh. Well. You see the thing is. Uh. Well." _What the fuck is happening to me? Snap out of it posen!_ "Shit. Sorry. Ok. Um. I've been trying to do this for three years. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened, and I'm sorry for leaving you hanging and not checking on you. You were my friend too and I should've called you when Chloe told me what happened, but I didn't and I shouldve and I'm sorry." As Aubrey rambled, Stacie came into sight. "Stacie? What are you doing here?"

"You knew? You knew this whole time what happened and you never said anything? What the actual fuck Aubrey?!" Stacie had heard everything Aubrey said and she was furious. Not only did Chloe keep this from them, but so did Aubrey. "Did you have some fucking vendetta against Beca for some reason? Like what the fuck?"

Beca looked between the two of them. It looked like this was going to take a while so she went to walk away.

"Wait Beca! Please. I'm so sorry. I want to be in your life. I'm so sorry." The look Beca gave Aubrey confused her. The anger from earlier was gone. It was as if nothing was there.

"You're forgiven. Now go away."

"I'm not going anywhere Beca. I'm going to be here for you whether you want me to be or not." Aubrey said. She knew she sounded ridiculous but she was flying by the seat of her pants here and she really didn't know how to do that. That wasn't the Posen way.

Beca sighed and rolled her eyes. Talking about this shit was really exhausting. "Well. I'm tired. So. Have fun arguing with Stacie. Stacie, your room is at the top of the west set of stairs. First door on the right when you get to the hall. Don't stand there with the door open all night. If you're going to argue for a while. At least do it inside." Beca turned around and walked away.

Aubrey reached out her hand to try and stop her but Stacie slapped it away. "Don't Posen. You're not going to get anywhere with her tonight. Just come in. We need to talk."

Aubrey and Stacie had been talking for over an hour. Aubrey had told Stacie her reasoning for not saying anything. It literally all came down to Chloe asking her not to and she's her best friend. Which Stacie thought was stupid, but she let it go for Beca's sake.

Stacie then decided she needed someone else's help with helping Beca, so she explained everything to Aubrey.

By the time Stacie was done, Aubrey was in tears. She didn't know all the details of that night either. She didn't know what all Beca saw. It must've been devastating. Obviously it was devastating, if what all Stacie said was true. She didn't think Stacie would lie about it so she made an executive decision. "Ok. I want to help. What can I do?"

"I don't know Aubrey! We just need to get to her. Somehow. I don't know how. I just think the Bellas could help because of what she said about feeling shit when she saw me. And when I mentioned the other Bellas. We have to do something."

Aubrey had an idea. Not a brilliant idea, but an idea nonetheless. If there was anything she knew for sure about Beca, it was that she could piss the girl off. Now, that wasn't what she had actually set out here to do, but if it meant helping Beca, then she'd do it. She might also have some fun while doing it. It had been a while since she went toe to toe with the girl. "Ok. I have an idea. We will talk about it later. I'm going to go to the hotel. You get some sleep. Text me when you wake up, and we'll get to work."

Aubrey left the mansion with a mission. In order to accomplish it, she had to be at her best. And to be at her best, she needed at least six hours of sleep. _Hopefully Beca is still a late sleeper._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Hey guys. So so happy you guys are reviewing this. A lot of you really get how I feel about the situation. I'm pretty sure I have an endgame in mind, but I am not willing to divulge that information lol. Please continue to review. It really does help. I'm so glad I was able to turn some readers against Chloe. Normally people just side with her because she's so bubbly. It's harder for Beca, considering her darker persona.**

 **Anyways. Hope you enjoy. Oh. Trigger warning applies here for alcoholism.**

 **Cause and effect.**

Beca woke up sweating and shaking. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She ran to the bathroom, as fast as she could on unstable legs, and started vomiting. _What the fuck is happening to me?_ As the contents of her stomach ended up in the toilet, the rest of her body started shaking even more. She turned on the shower and tried to get in, but her legs wouldn't support her weight so she fell and landed on her wrist. As she laid there cursing and holding her wrist, she thought about calling Donald. He would help, he would get her a doctor. She probably had food poisoning, but then again, she couldn't even remember what she ate last, so that probably wasn't it.

Stacie heard Beca screaming as she walked out of her room. She ran towards the noise and found what she assumed was Beca's room. When she entered she could clearly make out Beca cursing and whimpering. She ran to the door that had light shining from under it and threw it open. The first thing she noticed was Beca in the fetal position on the floor. She was covered in sweat and trembling all over. She then noticed Beca holding her wrist with a pained look on her face. "Beca, are you ok? What happened?" Stacie said as she walked into the room. When she got close enough, a smell hit her. It was horrible. She knew that smell. It was the smell of a long night of drinking coming back up the next day. Stacie made a disgusted look and flushed the toilet. "Jesus Beca, how much did you drink last night? I didn't even see you take a sip of your drink when we were talking."

As Beca laid there in pain she tried to get her words to come out. She needed Stacie to get her phone for her, but the pain in her wrist was clouding her mind. "I don't know Stace." Beca winced. "Can you just. I don't know." Beca tried to breathe through the pain. "I think I broke my wrist when I fell."

"Shit ok, let's get you to a hospital."

"What?! No!" Beca hates hospitals. "Just grab my phone and call Donald. He'll know what to do."

"Know what to do? I know what to do! You need to go to the hospital!"

"Jesus Christ, Stacie! Just get the fucking phone!"

Stacie conceded and started looking around the room. "Where the hell is it, Beca?"

"Nightstand. It's on my nightstand."

Stacie found the phone, but it was locked. "What's your code Beca?"

"Mitchell. It's Mitchell."

"Wow. How secure." Staie said as she got into Beca's phone. She finally got to Donald's contact and started calling.

" _Beca, hey! I was just about to call you. Can you come in tomorrow? There's an artist I want you to meet. I think you'll-"_

"Donald, shut up. This is Stacie Conrad."

" _Who? Why the hell do you have Beca's phone? Where is she?"_

"Well that's why I'm calling you so just let me talk!" The phone stayed silent and Stacie sighed. "Beca is hurt. She hurt her wrist. She said to call you. You'd know what to do."

" _Is she sweating?"_

"Yeah? Why?" She heard Donald sigh.

" _Ok. Here's what I need you to do. In her nightstand, there is a bottle of Jack. Bring it to her. I'll call her doctor and have him come check her out to see if it's broken. I'm out of town at the moment, so let her know I won't be able to make it. Have her call me after the doctor checks her out."_

"What?! Why the hell would I bring her whiskey? It's noon and she needs to go to the hospital."

" _Look, just fucking do it. I don't have time to explain. I need to call her doctor."_ With that, Donald hung up.

Stacie looked at the phone in a daze. Stacie wasn't stupid, she started piecing shit together. The shaking, the vomit. The outburst. Beca is an alcoholic. _Fuck!_ Stacie didn't want to enable Beca, but she didn't want her to be dealing with withdrawals whilst dealing with a broken wrist. Stacie sighed and went to the nightstand. Sure enough, there was a bottle of Jack. Stacie grabbed it and walked back into the bathroom. "Here. Donald said to give you this."

"What? Why?" Beca said with a look of pure confusion.

"Hmmm. I don't know, Beca. Maybe because you're a fucking alcoholic and you won't be able to get through a doctor visiting without it!" Stacie regretted her words as soon as she said them. She didn't want to attack Beca, but the words came out anyways.

"Fuck you, Stacie! I'm not a fucking loser! I drink sometimes, so what? That doesn't make me a fucking alcoholic!" Beca was angry. Normally she would be excited about that fact, but this was different. This felt wrong. Stacie didn't know her any more. She had no right to make assumptions. She didn't know what the fuck she was talking about.

"Fine. You're not an alcoholic. Do you want the whiskey or not?"

Beca rolled her eyes. "Well yeah. I'm kind of in fucking pain here! It'd be nice to have something to take the edge off! Doesn't mean I'm an alcoholic!"

"I said you weren't! Just take the damn bottle!"

Beca took the bottle and took a big swig as she watched Stacie walk out of the bathroom. She started to cool off and calm down after a few minutes. The sweats, headache, and trembling dissipated. When she felt ok enough, she got in the shower. She wanted to wash all the sweat off. _Fucking alcoholic my ass. I was just in pain. Only reason I took it. And everything else was absolutely food poisoning. Had to be._

Stacie was sitting on the couch in the den. She was trying to figure out what the hell to do. She had already texted Aubrey and let her know she was awake, but she didn't think Aubrey would be enough. After figuring out Beca had an even bigger issue, she knew she needed more reinforcements. She sent out a group text to the Bellas, making sure to not include Chloe.

Stacie- "Hey guys. So. I came to see Beca. She needs your help. She won't admit it, but she does. We need to rally up and be here for her. Can you all get free? Maybe take vacation or something?"

Fat Amy- "No fair! You beat me to it! I'm in LA already. Got here this morning. Why she moved here, I have no idea. Don't see the appeal."

Lilly- "I don't have any contracts right now. I will be there in 5 hours."

CR- "Well. I could possibly take a couple weeks leave. I'll have to have it approved though. I've got time saved up so unless my CO wants to be a dick, I don't think it'll be a problem."

Jessica- "Yeah, of course! Ash and I are on summer break anyways! Benefits of being a teacher! You down Ash?"

Ashley- "Of course! Let's do it! Never been to California!"

Flo- "I can see if my friend will run the truck for me for a while. If I split the profits down the middle with him, it shouldn't be a problem. I need to install a camera first. Make sure the little shit doesn't steal from me."

Flo- "Lilly, could you call me? I need help setting up a camera."

Lilly- "Yes. I will also teach you how to set up something to where if you catch him doing something, it will chop his dick off. Or maybe stab him in the eye. I don't know. How big is your truck?"

Flo- "Sounds perfect."

Fat Amy- "You know. I always knew joining an acapella group would get me thrown in jail. If anything happens, we are all now accomplices. I'm not going to jail for you pitches! Everyone delete this chat and burn you phones."

Stacie- "All of my friends are so fucking weird."

Jessica- "Hey!"

Stacie- "Sorry honey, not you. Anyways. I've got some shit to do. Just let me know when you're coming. Just come to Beca's. She's got the room and we'll tie her up if she tries to kick you out."

Aubrey- "That would probably not end well."

Stacie- "You afraid of Mitchell, Posen? Damn. Who knew?"

Aubrey- "Oh please. Get real. Come open the door."

Fat Amy- "What?! You're there too?"

Stacie got up and opened the front door for Aubrey. "We have a big fucking problem."

Beca heard that as she walked down the stairs. "And what problem might that be? Other than my broken wrist?"

"Broken wrist? What the hell?" Aubrey said as she walked past Stacie and over to Beca. "What happened?" Aubrey asked and tried to grab Beca's arm.

"Let's not touch me, ok?" Beca said as she pulled away from Aubrey. "What problem Stacie?" Beca glared at the taller brunette.

"Um. Nothing. Just need a rental car. Don't plan on going anywhere for awhile. Aubrey, will you go with me?"

"What? No. I need to talk to Beca." Aubrey said, clearly confused about what was going on. About that time an elderly man came into view in the doorway.

"Hey doc. Come on in." Beca said as she moved away from Aubrey.

Stacie sighed in relief. "See. Beca will be busy for a bit. He's gotta check her out. So. Come with me."

Aubrey didn't budge.

"Now Posen!" Stacie shouted.

This made Aubrey jump. At first she was irritated but when she looked in Stacie's eyes, she saw her begging to comply. She nodded. "Ok. Fine. I'll be back later Beca."

"Yeah sure whatever. Come on doc, let's go to the den."

Stacie and Aubrey made their way to Aubrey's rental. "So. Enterprise?"

"Sure. Just drive" Stacie said.

Aubrey drove down the long driveway and stopped before getting onto the street. "So are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Yeah. I think-" Stacie sighed. "No. I know. Beca is an alcoholic. She needs help. Like really fucking badly. What the fuck do we do Aubrey?"

Aubrey thought for a moment. "Well. I think you did the right thing in getting the Bellas to come out here. I think it'll be good for her. But. Now don't hate me. But I think we should tell Chloe."

"What?! Why the hell would we tell her anything?"

"Honestly, I think she really needs to know what she did. Plus, what if seeing Chloe is the push that Beca needs?"

"Yeah, or it will push her even further over the edge! Aubrey! Chloe fucking broke Beca!"

"Yeah, I know. But Beca never actually dealt with what happened. She shut down, and checked out. How can you get over something if you never actually deal with it? She needs to really process everything. She needs to really feel everything. She needs this, I think, in order to truly heal."

"I don't know. Sounds like it could go really fucking badly." Stacie said, trying to mull over Aubrey's words.

"Well. How about we tell Chloe. We see how she reacts. We'll see if she has any ideas. I mean. She was the closest person to Beca before everything went down. If anyone knows what to do, it would be her."

"Bullshit. If she really knew Beca, she wouldn't have done what she did. Well. Maybe not. But if she actually cared for and loved her then she wouldn't have done it. How can I trust her around Beca? She clearly didn't care enough about her back then. What makes you think she cares now?"

"I don't know." Aubrey said. She was caught off guard by the emotion Stacie was putting off. She had never seen the girl so shaken. Stacie was always so carefree. Always making jokes. Now? She's so serious. So focused. It was alarming. "Let's just test the waters. If we end up thinking that Chloe would only hurt the situation, we'll keep her away from Beca. She doesn't have her address or anything. We can keep it that way."

"Yes she does! Lilly sent it in the old group chat Chloe started!"

"Ok. Well then we can't stop her either way. And if she decides to come out here, maybe her knowing the full story will keep her from doing something stupid."

Stacie sighed. She knew Aubrey would tell Chloe eventually, but maybe if Stacie agreed, she could control what and how things were said. "Fine. But I want to be the one to call her."

"Fine."

 **XXXX**

Chloe was in the middle of her shift when her phone started ringing. She saw it was Stacie and made her way outside.

"Hey Stacie. How are you?"

" _I'm fine, Chloe. I'm not calling for me. I'm calling for Beca."_

Chloe's heart started racing. "What about her?"

" _Well. She needs help. And all of the Bellas are going to help her. And whether I like it or not. That includes you."_

"Um. Ok? I really don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you don't which is why I'm going to explain some things to you." Stacie sighed. "Chloe. You fucking destroyed Beca. Like. So fucking bad."

"Obviously not, Stacie. She's doing very well for herself."

"Yeah! Career wise! But she's a fucking drunk, Chloe! She has no one here for her! Her fucking manager is an enabler! She doesn't care about anyone or anything! She's just existing. And barely! She needs her family! And at one point, she used to be your family too! So I suggest you sack the fuck up, and figure out how to fix this! Beca doesn't deserve this! She deserves so much better than what you did to her!"

Chloe was crying. Beca really didn't deserve the shit Chloe did to her. She had no idea Beca was so far gone. She should've known. She should've known that Beca didn't take everything as well as she let on. Then she heard what sounded like Aubrey on the other end of the phone. "Stop being so fucking mean."

"Aubrey? Is that you?"

"Give me the phone! Just give me the damn phone."

Chloe heard rustling.

"Hey sweetie! Yeah it's me. Sorry about Stacie."

"I didn't know she went with you."

"She didn't. She actually got to Beca before I did. Look Chlo. Beca really does need help. What should we do?"

"What do you mean 'what should you do?' How would I know? I clearly am not the right person for the job."

"Chloe Beale, you get your head out of your ass! It's not a hat! Now you may not be with Beca anymore, but at one point, she was your friend, your family. And whether you like it or not, you fucked that up. Not her. So you need to get over yourself and help the rest of your family clean up your mess!"

"What do you want me to do Aubrey?! I can't just leave!"

"You know, that's funny. Because all of the other girls managed to agree to put their lives on hold to come be here for Beca, but you? You just keep coming up with excuses. Excuses for not moving to LA when Beca asked when you were still together. Excuses for cheating. Excuses for lying to the girls. Who the hell are you? Because my best friend is not this selfish. Or did I ever really know you?"

"That's not fair!" Chloe sobbed. She couldn't lose Aubrey. She already lost Beca, probably the other girls too, but she can't lose Aubrey. "You know I didn't want to move to LA because I would've had to of switched schools and lost my friends. And you know why I cheated! I never said it was a good reason, but it's the only one I have! I know I fucked up! I know that, and I regret it everyday! Beca was perfect. She loved me more than anyone ever has, and I know I ruined it. I don't need the constant reminders. What am I supposed to do? Grovel at her feet? Beg her to take me back?"

"I don't know Chloe. But I do know that by you not running after her, you showed her that you didn't love her the way you claimed. Yeah. You cheated, but then you also abandoned her. You left her out to dry. You left her alone."

"She didn't want me to run after her! I was trying to respect her!"

"By fucking a guy on her couch on your anniversary?!"

"Wow. Thanks for that. Really fucking helpful Bree!"

"Look. I'm sorry. Just. Ugh. We don't know what to do. She needs closure. And honestly. You're the only one that can give it to her."

Chloe sighed. She really had no idea how she could possibly help. "Ok. I'll see what I can do." Chloe hung up. She needed to think. She was terrified to see Beca again. She knew she still wanted Beca, but how could she possibly ask for forgiveness. Should she even ask for forgiveness? That seemed even more selfish than the cheating. Was Beca really as broken as Stacie and Aubrey said? If so, what could she do about it? I'm so fucking lost.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hey guys. Started making some headway here. Beca's got a long way to go though. She still hasn't worked through anything. But we have some feels here! Yay! So. Some of you on't like the way I've painted Chloe. Which is cool. Totally your opinion. No. I don't hate Chloe. I love Bechloe. But. I also love other ships with Beca. Sorry not sorry. There are plenty of Bechloe stories. Like. Tons. But I have been craving something different, and I couldn't find it. So I took matters into my own hands. If you aren't into revenge against Chloe, you should probably stop reading. Because this is going to get a lot worse for her.**

 **Reviews are great and so so helpful. Let me know what you think. I love how some of you are voicing exactly how I'm feeling! I don't want to say who you are because I don't want to give too much away, but I love you lol.**

 **Well. Hope you enjoy! Let me know.**

 **Worth it.**

"I seriously don't think that was a good idea Aubrey. I mean, I get that Beca will need to heal, but do you really think that now is the time to bring Chloe in? Beca won't even admit she has a problem."

"Stacie, listen. I know Chloe, ok? I know she's not going to show up tomorrow. We are going to help Beca as much as we can, but at some point, we aren't going to be enough. She will have to face the thing that hurt her most, and hopefully, when that time comes, Chloe will show up. I don't know what the hell is wrong with her. I honestly can't wrap my head around what she did to Beca. It's just not her."

"Yeah, exactly! Does anyone really know her? I mean, I never thought she would do that either! That's why my first thought was that Beca cheated, because seriously? Who would suspect Chloe? No one. None of us did. We were all so quick to put the blame on Beca. All of us. As if she didn't spend years showing us who she was. Showing us how much she cared. And none of us even thought about it! None of us even asked! When she left, that just kind of sealed the deal for me you know? Like. 'Ok. She left. So she must be guilty.' But really, why would she have stayed when Chloe cheated? None of us thought about it."

"What do you mean?" Aubrey always thought Beca leaving was stupid. That was the one thing she did put on Beca's shoulders.

"Well. Who was the one that got Beca to join the Bellas? Chloe. Who was the first one that Beca really trusted? Chloe. Yeah, Amy and I were close to her, but not like Chloe. And just take out the fact that Beca shut down, right? Let's pretend she still cares for a minute. Her plan all along was to go to LA. She stayed in Georgia for Chloe. The only other one that lived there was you. When Chloe stepped out, where else would she go? To you? You're Chloe's best friend, Aubrey. So why stay there? LA was the only logical option. That was her dream. Now, as for her shutting all of us out? I don't know. I mean. I have to take her word for it. She just didn't care. And why fight for shit that you don't care about? She had to of known that we blamed her. And honestly, I think her subconscious still cared deeply for Chloe, which is why she didn't drag her through the mud to the rest of the Bellas. It was just easier to shut us out."

"So. Ok. Beca going to LA makes sense. But. You think she never said anything to any of you to protect Chloe? Really?" Aubrey was trying to wrap her head around everything Stacie was saying. "When the hell did you become so smart?"

"Bitch, please. I graduated college with a 4.0 GPA with a double major in biochemistry and business." Stacie always got defensive when it came to her brains. She knew she was beautiful, but everyone always underestimated her intelligence.

"What?! Seriously? Wow. Wait. So why business? What is it that you do?"

"Oh. Well currently I am advising on a few research projects in relation to Alzheimer's. But my end goal is to open up my own lab for research and development for all neurological diseases. I'm only advising right now so that I can work on my portfolio for a business loan. It's going to take a while for me to have all of the references I need to be backed by the scientific community. I only received my Ph. D. a year ago, so I'll be advising for a while. I've had a few offers for full time positions, but that's not really for me. I don't want to be tied down right now, and I make plenty of money doing what I do. And I can work remotely."

Aubrey kept her mouth shut after that. She had no idea Stacie was so driven. Aubrey's senior year wasn't really used to get to know the younger Bellas, and after that, the only time she was around Stacie was during reunions. That didn't offer Stacie and Aubrey much opportunity to chat.

"So, I know you're driving towards Enterprise, but I don't actually need to go there. I have a hotel and a car already. All of my stuff is at the Hilton."

"Wait. So why did you stay with Beca? And why is your car not at Beca's?"

"Oh. Well I took a cab because the rental wasn't going to get to the hotel until today, and I didn't want to wait. As for staying with Beca. Well. Once I saw her, I didn't want her to be alone. So I told her I didn't have a hotel. Glad I did too."

"You are full of surprises Stacie Conrad."

"Indeed. So I just need you to drop me off and then I'm going to grab all my shit and check out of the hotel. I'm going to stay with Beca." Stacie said matter of factly. She had no doubts in that part of her plan. She wasn't going to leave Beca alone.

"You say that as if she can't just tell you to leave."

"Oh, she can tell me all she wants, doesn't mean I'm going to do it."

Finally Aubrey pulled up to the Hilton and decided to help Stacie with her stuff. Might as well. She had nothing better to do at the moment.

 **XXXX**

Once the doctor decided that Beca's wrist wasn't broken, she was left alone finally. She fixed herself a glass of whiskey since she declined pain medicine for her sprained wrist. She plopped down on the couch with her phone and decided to give Donald a call.

" _Beca?"_

"Yeah it's me. Thanks for calling the doc."

" _Yeah of course. You good? Who's Stacie? Girl you picked up?"_

"What? Stacie? No! She's a Bella dude."

" _Bella? Seriously? I thought you left all that shit behind dude? That doesn't really mesh with your image. You're the mysterious Beca Mitchell."_

"It's not exactly a secret that I was a Bella, Donald. All you have to do is google me."

" _Yeah, but still. Come on."_

"Donald, seriously? You were a Treble. Get over it."

" _Whatever. Anyways. What'd the doc say?"_

"Just a sprain dude. I'm fine."

" _Yeah, you're always fine."_

"Gross. No, dude. Don't say shit like that. So weird."

" _Sorry, can't always just my mack off."_

"Your mack? Really? Who the fuck are you and what have you done with my manager?"

" _Anyways! I have some fresh meat coming into the office tomorrow and I'd really like you to meet her. Could you come in? Maybe cut your vaca short?"_

"Yeah, sure whatever. Not before noon though."

" _Not a problem. She's coming in at one. See you tomorrow?"_

"Absolutely. Later, man." Beca hung up and started sipping her drink and playing candy crush. Very mind numbing activities for Beca's down time these days. About thirty minutes into it, she heard a knock on her door. "Seriously? Why don't people use the damn bell? And now I'm talking to myself. Fan fucking tastic." Beca rolled her eyes and got up to answer the door.

When Beca opened the door she was engulfed in a hug. "Shortstack! Shawshank! Big BM! By all the aca gods! I've missed you!"

"Jesus, Amy! I know it's been three years, but I still require oxygen to survive." Beca breathed out, but her heart swelled and next thing she knows she's crying.

Amy released her. "Shit, Beca. Are you ok? I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't know my own strength. Do you need mouth to mouth? Because CR isn't here and I'm not sure you could handle all this."

Beca continued to sob. "No. No I'm fine. I'm just happy. Oh my god. I'm happy. Why the fuck am I crying?"

"Um. Well. I don't really know. Maybe it's the alcohol? Jesus, Beca! I can smell you from here."

"Amy." Beca laughed. Like actually laughed. "Of course you can smell me. You're less than a foot away from me and I've been drinking."

"Seriously? Fuck it! Count me in. Got any vodka? I can make us some good shit."

"Uh. No. Sorry. Just whiskey." Beca said. The feeling was still there though. Not as strong, but still there. "I missed you dude. You're awesomely insane."

"Yeah, yeah. So you want to show me around or we just gonna stay here? If so I'm gonna need you to bring me a chair. I'm trying to watch my figure."

 _Some things never change._ "Yeah sure. Come on."

As Beca showed Fat Amy around, Amy thought about what all she wanted to say. Stacie said Beca was in a bad place, but she needed to get some shit off her chest. "So. Beca. I know that you went through some shit a while ago. But. Why did you cut me off? I mean, I get the other girls, but we were Beca and Amy. Bamy. We were going to rule the world together."

Beca stopped in her tracks. This is the first time she actually felt horrible about the way she handled things. She tried to think of a way to explain things to Amy. The reasons seemed even more confusing now. "Honestly, dude. I don't even know anymore. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. I haven't cared about shit in so long. Like, for real. So fucking long. No shits given. But. Stacie showed up. Then Aubrey. Now you. And I'm starting to feel shit again and it's confusing and frustrating and I don't know what to do. For three years I've been trying, and all it's taken for me to be some semblance of a real fucking person, is for you assholes to show up."

"Uh. Beca. I don't know what you're talking about. But. I have a really fucked up family. And I decided a long time ago that you are my real family. SO. I'm going to choose to forgive your duechbagery. But. I just want to warn you. If you ever disappear on me again, I will hire Lilly to murder you. She'll do it for the right price. I don't think anyone is off limits for the right amount."

Beca sighed. The more time she spent with Amy, the more she felt like shit. "I really don't deserve your forgiveness dude. I used to push people away because so many people left me, and then I did the same thing to all of you. I'm such a hypocrite now that I think about it."

"Yeah. You kinda are. But that's ok. You fucked up. But you're worth forgiving. You're Beca effin Mitchell. And I love you."

Beca smiled at Amy with tears in her eyes. "I love you too, dude. Like. Really."

"Whoa calm your lesbian voodoo down! I can only take so much before you turn me! Think of all the men that would be devastated."

Beca laughed and then heard the doorbell ring. _Finally!_ Beca walked to the front door from the kitchen, where Beca had ended Amy's tour. She opened it and all the air left her body. The Bellas were there. All of them. Besides Chloe of course.

"Damn it Amy! Check your phone! We were all going to show up as a unit!" CR said.

"I can take care of her if you want" Lilly said with a glint in her eye.

"That won't be necessary." Stacie said as she climbed the stairs to the house. "So glad I can hear you now. That could've been bad." Stacie beamed at Beca. "Hey B. Hope you don't mind. I invited some friends."

Emily started crying and pushed through to get to Beca and enveloped her into a hug. "I've missed you so much."

Beca hugged back tightly. "Missed you too, Legacy."

After that, all of the girls joined in on the hug.

"So, you gonna invite us in? Or are we going to have to bulldoze through you?" CR said.

"No. Yeah. For sure. Come in." Beca said, pulling away from Emily. "We can go to the living room."

"No den?" Stacie said.

"Well, as much as I love all this physical contact. The den is too cramped for all of you."

"I see the sarcasm hasn't gone anywhere. You know. In my country. If the leader of a gang wants to leave, the rest of the gang gets to chop off a body part of their choosing." Flo said.

"Jesus Flo. Can you wait to go at her until we all sit down?" Aubrey added.

"Why?" Jessica added. "No telling when we'll get the chance to say anything to her again. It's not like she doesn't have the means to disappear again."

"Whoa. Ok guys. Let's all just calm down. Ashley, turn it down a notch." Amy said.

"I'm Jessica."

"Right. Well. I had a 50/50 shot. Can't win em all."

"No, it's cool Amy." Beca said. "I deserve it. Let's do this. But I am going to sit down for it." Beca sat on one of the couches in her living room. She gestured for them all to have a seat. Stacie took the spot directly to her left and Amy on the right. Though Stacie was practically sitting on her lap.

"So. Stacie filled us all in on a conference call. All of us except for Amy. She wouldn't answer her phone. So. None of us are going to ask why you left. We all know. And we know what happened after. That's not why we're here. What's done is done. We're here because we love you, and we want to help." CR said looking as sympathetic as she could manage.

"Help with what?" Beca said trying to get Stacie to look her in the eyes.

"Beca, I know it's not the same, but I have dealt with addiction myself. And the Bellas helped me with it. So let us help you."

"I'm not an addict Cynthia Rose! I'm not gonna sit here for this." Beca went to stand up but Stacie jumped onto her lap and pushed her back down, straddling her lap and grabbing her face with both hands. Beca clammed up. Shock written all over her face.

"Cap. Please. I can smell it on your breath."

"Yeah Stacie! I hurt my wrist! I'm in pain."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Can it Mitchell! You have a problem!"

Beca tried to push Stacie off but she was slammed back into the couch. "Jesus Conrad! If you wanted in my pants, you didn't have to go through all this trouble. You just had to ask!"

Stacie rolled her eyes. Beca was so infuriating. "Just listen Beca. We're not going to let you go anywhere. Not this time. Might as well just accept it."

After two hours of back and forth between the girls, Beca finally accepted her fate. "What the fuck do you guys want from me? It's not like I'm not doing anything with my life! Look at me! Look at what I've accomplished! I'm not only surviving, I'm thriving! I've accomplished my dream. I'm good!"

"But are you happy?" Emily asked.

That shut Beca up. Tears formed in her eyes.

"It's ok, Beca. You've spent so long shutting everything and everyone out. Just let us help you." Stacie said while wiping the tears from Beca's cheeks.

"It's not like I meant to Stacie! I didn't make the conscious decision to shut off. It just happened." Beca sobbed and buried her face in Stacie's chest.

Stacie wrapped her arms as tight around Beca as she could. She wanted Beca to feel safe. "I'm sorry Beca. I should've been there. I'm so sorry."

All of the Bellas started looking around at each other. They didn't understand why Stacie was beating herself up so bad over it. Yeah, they all kind of felt bad about thinking the worst of Beca. But Stacie was taking it the hardest.

Stacie heard Beca mumbling. She pulled Beca up and looked her in the eyes. "What sweety? I couldn't hear you."

"I uh." Beca sniffled. "I think I have a problem."

 **The Bellas to the rescue! More to come! Stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Hey hey guys! So I wanted to comment on one review, just for a little insight into my brain. You said Beca finally feeling something felt rushed. Well. That's kinda the point. She never forced herself not to feel, she just didn't. And she never saw the Bellas (her family) after the breakup. It was what she needed all along. She just didn't know it. She spent 3 years trying to feel something, so to her, it doesn't feel rushed at all. Anyways. hope that justifies it for you like it does in my head. If not. Sorry, I don't really have a better explanation for you.**

 **We are about to dump a lot of shit on Beca. She's gonna get put through the ringer before she gets better. Hope you like it.**

 **xcombixgirlx I really really like your idea of revenge, I'm just not sure how to write it. Grr. If you have an idea. Feel free to PM me.**

 **Reviews are awesome, and I love you.**

 **Crushed**

Stacie pulled Beca back in for a tight hug. "Ok sweetie. We're gonna handle this." Stacie held on as tight as she could and turned her head to look at the other girls. "Ok ladies. Search the house. Dump everything."

Beca started struggling. "What?! Stacie, no. Get off. I have to work tomorrow. I can't just go cold turkey. Get off me!" She managed to get out of Stacie death grip, pure adrenaline pulsing through her veins. As she stood up she felt another pair of arms wrap around her, holding her arms down her sides. "What the fuck?! Get off me you Nazi!"

Aubrey held on as tight as she could. The struggle wound up with Aubrey on her back. She hooked her feet on the insides of Beca's thighs and her arms under Beca's with her fingers laced behind Beca's neck. Stacie hopped on top and grabbed Beca's face again.

"Beca, stop! Look at me! We're not trying to hurt you, we're trying to help you." Stacie said, with tears in her eyes. "We're not going to enable your drinking. I know you have work, but you're always going to have work. Just stop."

"If you two don't get the fuck off me, I'm going to call the cops." Beca breathed out through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah?" Aubrey said. "And what are you going to tell them Beca? That this random group of girls came into your house and started tossing your booze? What if the paparazzi show up with them? Do you want the rest of the world to know that you can't function without destroying your liver?"

"Are you seriously threatening my career? Seriously Posen?! Let me go!"

"I'm not threatening shit, Beca! You are!"

While Beca kept struggling, she didn't realize that all of the girls were no longer in sight. Her house was being torn apart. Each girl rummaging through every crevice they could find. CR and Amy decided to double team Beca's bedroom.

"Hey you good Aubrey?" Stacie asked. "I want to go get started on the kitchen."

"Yeah I got her. Midget's not gonna go anywhere."

"I can hear you, assholes! Jesus, Aubrey! Are you actually a fucking man? How the hell are you so strong?!"

Aubrey let out a menacing laugh. "I'm not a man, Beca! I just haven't destroyed my body for the last three years, unlike you."

Beca finally gave up her struggle and let Aubrey just hold her in the weird ass lock. She thought she'd just let the girls do what they want. They couldn't stay forever. They'd leave eventually.

After a while, the girls started trickling back into the living room. They all gave Aubrey and Beca questioning looks as they entered. The last one to arrive was Lilly. She put a foot on each side of Beca and bent down to look her in the eyes. With about an inch between their noses, Lily said "Do you want to see a dead body?" Beca shook her head no, fear in her eyes. "Then I suggest you stop fighting us." Beca nodded her head frantically. Lilly looked at Aubrey. "You can let her go."

Aubrey did as she was told. As soon as Beca felt her freedom, she shot up and started stretching and rubbing all over her body. "I'm going to bed. Feel free to get the fuck out." Beca stomped her way upstairs.

"Well she's just a pocketful of sunshine, huh?" Ashley said.

"Guys. None of us have been in her life in three years. It's going to take time." Stacie said.

"Yeah and who's fault is that? She ghosted us remember?" Jessica added.

"Yeah, look, I know we all fucked up. But you were all about 'fuck Beca' before. What's goin on?" CR said. "I mean. I'm absolutely down to help. No question. But Beca needs to own up to what she did too. I love her. But she fucked up."

"Well, I've forgiven her. She's my sista. She knows she messed up." Amy said.

"Look, why don't you guys head upstairs and pick a room. Unless you'd rather find a hotel. We've got a bumpy road ahead of us." Aubrey said. "Stacie, can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Yeah sure. Guys, I think all the rooms are upstairs, but ya'll would know better than me. You searched the house, after all."

Stacie and Aubrey made their way to the den. "So. What was all that about?" Aubrey asked.

"What was what?"

"You were all over Beca in there, Stacie. I don't think it's the right time for her to get into anything. And what if she still loves Chloe? You're setting yourself up for failure here."

Stacie rolled her eyes. "First of all, I'm not trying to get with Beca, I just care about her. Second, I would hope that after everything that went down, you would be against Chloe and Beca getting back together. I hope that someday they can be friends, or at least acquaintances, but a relationship between the two of them seems like a really fucking bad idea."

"If they still love each other, it's not really for us to decide."

"Aubrey! Just because you want something, doesn't mean you should have it!" Stacie was getting mad. She didn't understand why Aubrey kept pushing the Chloe issue. "Did you come here for Beca? Or did you come here for Chloe? Because you've been acting like you're here for Chloe. Everything you do is more for Chloe's benefit than it is for Beca's. Beca needs us here for her!"

"Yeah I get that Stacie! I'm trying here, ok?! Chloe is my best friend! She needs help too! She may not be as bad as Beca, but she's struggling too! I've watched her just go through life for the past three damn years. She's not living. She's just going through the motions. She lost her spark."

"Yeah, and that's her fault! She fucked someone in the home she shared with Beca! And who knows how long she had been doing it. And if it was only the one time, her goal was clearly to break Beca. I mean. The one time she chooses to sleep with someone else, she does it on their anniversary? How fucked up is that?"

"I know she fucked up, Stacie! But she clearly regrets it. She didn't want to hurt Beca. She loves her."

"She only regrets getting caught! She knew exactly what the fuck she was doing!" Stacie stood up. "Look. We clearly have different motives here. But can we at least agree to get Beca clean and sober? Surely, that should be the priority."

"I don't have ulterior motives here, Stace. I came because I want to be in Beca's life. When I came here, I had no idea that she was drinking like she was. I took a damn sabbatical just so I could be here enough to earn her trust and be in her life again. I miss her, too Stace. You're not the only one."

"Ok. Then let's get our girl some help. I'll see you in the morning." Stacie said as she walked away. As she entered her room, she started thinking about everything that Aubrey said. It pissed her off all over again. How can Aubrey not see that Chloe is bad for Beca. Beca needs someone who would never betray her. Clearly that person isn't Chloe. _How can she think I'm trying to hook up with Beca? That'd be so fucked. I mean. Is Beca hot? Of course. I have eyes. But do I want her? No. Absolutely not. That'd be ludacris. I got rid of that crush in college. Beca chose Jesse. And then that one chick. And then Chloe. I'm not even on her radar. Shit why does it matter? I don't want her. Anymore. Fuck! Get it together Conrad! You're a hunter! You are awesome!_ "I don't want Beca!" _Shit. Now I'm talking to myself!_ Stacie rolled her eyes and got ready for bed.

 **XXXX**

The next morning, Beca woke up in a cold sweat. She looked at her phone and saw that it was already 10. She rolled her eyes and got in the shower. It took her awhile to finish, due to the shakes. _Seriously? How did I not realize how bad it was?_ Once she was done and got dressed, the shakes hit her full force. _Just one drink won't hurt. I mean, who can actually go cold turkey._ She started rummaging through her bathroom, then her bedroom. She couldn't find anything and she was getting pissed! "Fuck!" She looked at her phone and saw she was running late. She had to get to the studio. She slowly made her way downstairs. She was sweating profusely.

"Where are you going?"

Beca jumped. "Shit, Stacie! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Ok. Back to the question. Where are you going?"

"To work, Stacie. You know. That place I have to go to make money."

"Ok. I'm going with you."

"What?! No you're not."

Stacie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "Do you really think you can drive? Look at you. You're a mess. You look like shit."

"Oh and I wonder who's fault that is?"

"Yours, Beca! You started drinking like a lunatic and now you are dealing with the consequences."

Beca recoiled. "Wow. Thanks."

"Shit. Sorry. Look. I want to trust you. I really really do. But right now, if I let you just leave, you'll go straight to the store and buy something to take the edge off. If you don't want to go get professional help, then you'll have to do this my way. There is no highway option."

CR showed up beside Stacie. "She's right. By the way, you have like no fucking food here."

"Jesus! What are you doing here?" Beca asked, clearly surprised at seeing Cynthia Rose still in her house.

"Oh. Right. Well. All of us are staying here while we're in LA. So. TA DA!" CR said sheepishly. "Did Stacie not tell you?"

"No!" Beca said staring daggers in the side of Stacie's head, since she refused to look her in the eyes. "No she did not."

"Well. Surprise?" CR said.

"Ugh. Fine. Whatever. Just clean up after yourselves. I've gotta go to work."

"Let's go then." Stacie said as she took the keys out of Beca's hand. Beca rolled her eyes. "We're taking my rental. I'm not on your insurance, and I don't really feel like dying today with you at the wheel."

 **XXXX**

Chloe woke up from yet another dream about that night. This had been an ongoing problem for three years. She didn't have them every night, but when she did, she knew she was going to have a horrible day. She got up and got ready for work. She had some bags under her eyes, but other than that, she looked like her normal, happy self. She plastered on a smile and headed to the clinic.

When she arrived the receptionist spotted her. "Hey Dr. Beale, your favorite patient is in today!"

 _Maybe it won't be such a horrible day!_ "Really?! Is it that time again? Ok, well let me suit up. Go ahead and put him in exam room 2, ok Jenny?"

"Sounds good. Oh, and you got a letter in the mail. I put it in your dropbox."

"Got it. Thanks! See you at lunch."

Chloe picked her letter up and headed for her office. She threw the letter on her desk without looking at it. After she put on her lab coat, she headed for exam room 2.

"Good morning Dr. Beale. Thanks for the diet tips. His bowel movements have been so much more solid lately."

"Oh, not a problem, Ben. So, other than perfect poo, how is little R'kai doin today? I see you got him shaved for the summer. You know, huskies look so funny shaved, but with this georgia heat you can't really avoid it."

"Oh don't I know it. We keep a chilled pool for him in the back and, since he has his own room, he has a window unit in there. I tried keeping the whole house cold enough but it was kind of ridiculous that we had to walk around our house in parkas. I think this was the best compromise." Ben laughed.

"Oh, absolutely. It's nice that you're actually taking his comfort into consideration. Most people don't think about that sort of thing."

"Well." Ben said. "We only spend the summer here, but he definitely prefers Maine."

"Oh, I have no doubt." Chloe smiled. "So what brings you in? Just the normal check up?"

"Yeah."

"Great! Well let's check this guy out shall we?" Chloe proceeded through the routine check up and gave the dog a clean bill of health.

"Well. All looks good. See you next year?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, for sure. Um actually, maybe you could see me tomorrow night? Without the lab coat I mean." Ben said. He looked pretty timid. He has had a crush on the redhead since he first saw her.

"Are you asking me out Ben?"

"Um. Well yeah. I mean. I don't know what could come of it, since I only spend my summers here and all, but yeah. I'd like to get to know you."

Chloe was caught off guard. Sure, she's dated since Beca, but Beca has been on her mind a lot lately and it seems unfair to put someone through that. "Well. I am absolutely flattered, Ben. You are very handsome. But, I don't date people from the clinic. Seems like a big no no. You know?"

"Yeah, no I get it. Sorry. Didn't even think about that. Sorry Dr. Beale. Well. We'll see you next year."

"Okie dokie, have a great day!" Chloe said as Ben and R'kai made their way out of the exam room. Chloe rolled her eyes and made her way back to her office. She saw the letter and picked it up. She saw the Barden lett head and wondered what it could be. She opened it up and read through it.

 _Barden University_

 _Ms. Beale_

 _Barden University is holding it's first week long Summer Bash._

 _As the previous co-captain of the Barden Bellas, we would like to ask you and the team you used to captain over, to join us. We are inviting all Barden Alumni to come, but we would like you to perform. You would perform with the team you graduated with._

 _We will have many years worth of Bellas there to perform as well, along with Treblemakers._

 _I'm sure you are wondering why, but both the Treblemakers and The Bellas hold national and, thanks to you and your co-captain, a world title._

 _We want to show parents of potential students what we have to offer here._

 _Please RSVP ASAP._

 _The festival will begin July 5th and will run through July 12th. We would like your Bellas to perform at least 3 of the days, but especially on the 12th._

 _Thanks so much, have a great day!_

"That's in a month! What the hell?!" Chloe was freaking out. She should've listened to her gut. It is a horrible day. Not only has she not spoken to her co-captain in 3 years, the rest of the Bellas were pissed at her. Well, except for Aubrey. _Aubrey! That's it! I'll call Aubrey! She'll know what to do._

Chloe dug her phone out of her purse and hit Aubrey's contact. As soon as it started to ring, she felt her heart in her throat.

" _Hey Chlo. What's up?"_

"Well. I don't know." Chloe explained the letter to Aubrey. "What do I do? I mean. I can't exactly RSVP for the entire group! I don't even know if they want to see me, let alone perform with me! This is bad. Really really bad. Do we let our alma mater down? Do we blow it off?"

" _Chloe, stop rambling. I'll talk to the girls. We'll find out what they want to do, and go from there. Ok?"_

"What about Beca?"

Aubrey sighed " _What do you mean 'what about Beca?' She's a Bella too. And the only damn reason we started winning, so I would say, yeah. If they want to go, she'll have to go too."_

"She doesn't have to do anything."

" _Yeah, but the other girls won't go without her, Chlo. Might want to prepare yourself to see her. I'll try to help prepare her too. If they decide to go, that is."_

"Ok. You're right. No biggie. We're both adults. We can manage to be around each other for a week. We got this."

" _Alright, Chlo. I'm gonna go. I have a few calls to make. Just don't freak out."_

"Ok. I won't. I got this. Love you, Bree."

" _Love you too, Chlo._

Chloe hung up and immediately started freaking out. She wanted to go, but at the same time, she didn't. She was very confused.

The rest of the day, Chloe couldn't concentrate. "Hey, Jenny? Do I have any appointments scheduled for the rest of the day?"

"Nope, all clear. In fact, no one does. Slow day. Just waiting on walk-ins."

"Great, I'm going to head out early. I have some business to attend to."

"No problem, Dr. Beale. See you tomorrow." Jenny waved at Chloe as she walked out the door.

Chloe got into Aubrey's car and drove towards her house. _Why is this happening now? After all this time. Am I cursed? Is the universe out to get me? Why now?_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Hey guys! So. No Chloe POV in this one. Which, who really cares? I mean. Come on lol. Anyways. I have a special person in this one. I had to think of someone who is recognizable and hot, but also not too famous already. Kinda wanted it to be believable I guess. Anyways, you'll see who I'm talking about once you read it. She may cause some drama later on. Who knows? Oh right, I do lol. Anyways, hope you enjoy some of the drama.**

 **No time to proof read, so I'm sorry if there are more mistakes than usual. This one is a little shorter. Sorry it was a busy day at work. I will try to upload the next chapter tomorrow.**

 **As always, reviews help. Thanks so much for telling me how you feel. Ya'll are giving me ideas! Stay tuned.**

 **Roller coaster.**

Stacie and Beca arrived at Beca's studio a quarter till one. "Dude, I'm not feeling so hot." Beca said.

"Yeah. You don't really look it either. You should probably splash some water on your face before meeting your new client."

"She's not a new client. She's a potential client. One Donald seems very excited about."

"What's her name?" Stacie asked.

"No idea. But seriously, dude, I'm gonna vomit." Beca flung open the door and started throwing up in the parking lot.

"Jeeze, Beca. Let's get you inside."

Beca and Stacie made their way to Beca's office. As soon as Beca got into her ensuite bathroom, Donald came in.

"Hey, who are you? You know we have security right? You can't just be in here." Donald said as he pulled out his phone to call security.

"Relax. I'm Stacie. Remember? Bellas? Barden?" When Donald just stared at her blankly, Stacie sighed. "I'm here with Beca."

"Oh, right! You're the girl that answered Beca's phone. How's she doin? Feelin better?"

"Not exactly, she's in there cleaning up because she puked when we got here."

Donald narrowed his eyes at Stacie. "Did you give her the fucking whiskey, like I said to?"

"Of course I did. But she won't be having any more! She's an alcoholic, and as her manager, I would hope that you would want her better."

Donald stepped into Stacie's personal space. "You don't get to decide what's best for her! I don't even know who the fuck you are! Yeah, she drinks, but I've also seen her try to function without it. It doesn't work. She doesn't work. So how about you stop judging her, and just let her live her life!"

"First of all." Stacie said, not backing down to the scrawny man. "I'm not judging her. I would never do that. I get why she drinks. She's been through some shit. Trust me, I fucking get it! But that doesn't mean it's healthy. She needs help, Donald!"

"Enough!" Beca yelled, scaring both Stacie and Donald. They jumped away from each other as soon as they heard her loud voice. "I can hear you guys talking and I am not amused. I have a fucking headache, and I am not in the mood to deal with this shit today. If you have shit to say about me to one another, do it out of my earshot." Beca plopped down in her chair.

"Really, Mitchell? You're gonna let this girl walk in and start controlling your life?" Donald said, giving Beca and incredulous look.

"Why not? You do it all the time, only, I don't have to pay her."

Stacie smirked and Donald rolled his eyes. "This is bullshit Beca. You have a meeting with an artist in five minutes, and you look like shit."

"Yeah, well, tell her I have food poisoning or something." Beca ran her hand through her hair. "Stace, you can't be in here during the meeting. You can wait outside the office."

Stacie looked back and forth between Donald and Beca with a nervous look.

"I'm not going to do anything, Stace. I've never met this artist, so I'd like it to be comfortable for her. It's gonna be hard enough on her not knowing me, I don't need another stranger making her uncomfortable."

Stacie finally relented and gave Donald a death glare as she exited the office. She was really nervous about leaving Beca alone with Donald. He obviously knew about her problem, and never tried to help her. She didn't trust him, not one bit. She also knew she couldn't really trust Beca. Not yet, anyways. But what could she do? Surely Beca wouldn't do anything knowing that she would be seeing her as soon as the meeting was over.

Stacie watched as a petite girl made her way to Beca's office with the receptionist Stacie met earlier. She was fair skinned with pitch black hair. She wore her hair pin straight, and had a fuckinf fedora on her head. She had on a white button up, with black ripped skinny jeans, and a black leather jacket. Her makeup was dark and she reminded Stacie, so much, of Beca. The girl looked familiar, but Stacie couldn't place her. _Beca's gonna like her._ Stacie didn't like this girl. Not one bit. She watched as the receptionist let the unknown girl into Beca's office, and she snuck a glance to see Beca. She was still sitting in her chair. Stacie could see the sweat gathered on Beca's forehead. She sighed in relief.

Beca watched as her door was opened, and a nervous looking tiny woman was ushered in.

"Natasha! So good to see you again." Donald said embracing the tiny girl. Beca saw her stiffen at the contact. Donald led the girl over to Beca. "Natasha, I'd like you to meet Beca Mitchell. Beca, this is Natasha Negovanlis."

Beca stood up. "I'd shake your hand, but I'm not feeling very well. I'd hate to get you sick."

"Oh my!" Natasha said. "We totally could've rescheduled. I don't want to be a bother."

"Nonsense." Beca said. "Please, have a seat. Oh and by the way. If you don't want that creep touching you, just say the word. He learned quickly not to embrace me, unless he wants an elbow to the gut."

Natasha giggled at this and both girls heard Donald scoff.

"It's fine. Not that big of a deal. Just surprised me is all." Natasha added.

"Ha! See, Mitchell! Not everyone is as cold as you." Donald said smugly.

"I'm not cold, I just don't appreciate intimacy without consent. Remember who signs your checks dude. Ask next time." Beca glared.

Donald slumped. He knew how Beca felt and he knew he wouldn't win this argument.

Beca saw Natasha smirk. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back." Beca got up and headed for her ensuite.

Beca looked at herself in the mirror. She recoiled at what she saw. Sweat all over her face. Hands trembling. She looked like a wreck. "Get it together Mitchell." She grumbled. She splashed more water on her face. "Don't you fucking do it Mitchell. The girls are counting on you. Stacie's counting on you." _I don't need it. I don't need it. I don't need it._ The next thing she knows, she reaching under her sink. She pulls out a bottle of Jack. _Yeah, Mitchell. Cuz every non alcoholic keeps a bottle of whiskey in their bathroom. God, how was I in such denial?_ Beca twisted off the lid and stared at the bottle. _Poor it out, Mitchell. Don't fucking do this._ Beca poised the bottle over the sink. She started pouring it out. After the bottle was halfway gone, she couldn't stop herself. She brought it to her mouth and and drank about four shots worth. She felt the burn as it went down her throat and winced. She immediately felt guilty. She put the rest of the bottle under the sink and rinsed her mouth out with mouthwash. She cleaned herself up and patted her face dry. She ran her hands through her hair, trying to fix the mess that the sweat made. About five minutes later, she heard a knock at the door.

"You ok in there?" She heard Donald ask.

"Yeah! Out in a sec!" Beca quickly rinsed her mouth out again and exited the bathroom. Natasha was still sat in front of her desk.

"Well. You look ten times better." Natasha said.

"Yeah. Just needed to get some of it out I guess."

Donald winced. He knew what Beca did. He also knew that Stacie was going to try and kick his ass.

"So. How about we get this show on the road? Donald didn't tell me much about you." Beca said as she sat back down in her chair.

After about an hour of conversing, and listening to Natasha's demo, she decided to proceed with a contract. Donald has always been a good talent scout, he didn't disappoint here, either.

"So, I've gotta ask, now that all that is over with." Beca said. "You look really familiar. Have we met before or something?"

"Oh. No I think I'd remember that." Natasha said. "It's probably from my role on a YouTube show. Or the couple low budget movies I've been in. One of them is on Netflix."

"Hmm. Maybe. Anyways. I look forward to working with you. Donald will see you out, and I'll be in touch to set up a time to go over the contract with you. I suggest bringing a lawyer or your manager. It's always best to have someone there that you trust at the signing. I like for my artists to know for sure that I'm not screwing them over."

Natashed beamed at Beca. "Thanks. Look forward to hearing from you." And with that, Donald walked her out.

Not a second after Donald and Natasha left, Stacie walked in. "Hey, B. How'd it g-" Stacie stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Beca. "What did you do?"

"What?" Beca feigned innocence. "I didn't do anything."

"Don't lie to me, Beca. You looked like hell an hour ago. Which is perfectly understandable, given the circumstances. You're really trying to tell me that you didn't do anything?"

"Yeah! I just feel better ok? Drop it!"

"You know damn well I'm not going to do that, Beca! That's it. I'm searching your office. Get out."

"What?! No! You can't just tear my office apart. I work here!"

"I won't tear it apart. I'll search neatly. You need to do this, Beca. I know your going to have setbacks, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to stand by and let it happen without doing anything." Stacie was begging Beca with her eyes. She didn't want to have to use force again, but she wasn't above it either. She would do what she had to.

Beca sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry, Stace. I didn't mean to let you down."

"Don't apologize to me, Beca. Apologize to yourself. This is for you. You need to do this for you. Not for anyone else."

Beca chuckled. "I have no reason to do this other than for you and the rest of the girls, Stacie. There is no part of me that wants to do this for myself. It hurts when I don't drink. I feel like my body is covered in bugs. Like I've ran a marathon and then landed in a pile of red ants at the finish line. Why would I want that for myself?"

"So that, eventually, you don't need it to feel normal, Beca. You told me before, that you wanted to feel. Well. I've seen you have emotions since being back around the girls. I know they're there. But the alcohol is diluting it. You're never going to feel normal, until you can feel everything. And that won't happen until you're clean and done with withdrawals. If you really want to feel normal, then you need to be sober."

Beca sighed with tears in her eyes. "Yeah." She said in defeat. "You're right. Go ahead. Get rid of everything."

Stacie sighed and walked to Beca's side. She put one hand on her shoulder. "Beca. I really think you need professional help. Maybe at least go to some meetings, and listen to other people's stories. I don't know how to help you with this, other than dumping the booze when I find them. You need someone that can help you cope with the reason you started drinking so heavily in the first place."

Beca rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to AA, dude. Not gonna happen."

"Ok. I'm not giving up on it though. We'll talk more later."

"You'll be wasting your breath."

"We'll see. Out you go. Give me any keys you have for any locks in here and keep the door open when you leave. I want to see you on that bench outside any time I look up. If you go anywhere, I'll call Posen to come hold you down again."

Beca's eyes went wide. "Nope. I'm good. Just don't trash anything." Beca handed her keys over to Stacie and made her way outside the office.

 **XXXX**

"I really don't think it's a good idea, Aubrey. We just got back in to Beca's life. I don't think taking her back to Barden is a good idea right now." Amy said

"Look. This is for our alma mater. I know that if we all stand together, Beca will decide to go. She wouldn't let the Bellas down, even if it means she has to see Chloe." Aubrey said to the group of Bellas sitting in Beca's living room.

"Chloe?" CR piped in. "You never said shit about Chloe being there."

"Well of course she'll be there Cynthia Rose!" Aubrey said. "She was your co-captain after all. I mean, it'd be kinda weird if she weren't."

"Kinda weird? It's going to be excruciating if Beca has to see her. She's too unstable right now. I agree with Amy. It's too soon." Flo said.

"Look. Why don't we just let Beca decide." Jessica added.

"Because I already know she won't do it unless we beg her to!" Aubrey said. "She's a runner. She runs from her problems. She needs to face this head on."

None of the girls heard Beca and Stacie come into the house. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." Stacie said standing in the entryway to the living room. All of the girls stopped talking and looked at Stacie.

"Let me decide what? I need to face what, Aubrey?" Beca said, appearing next to Stacie.

Aubrey sighed.

"Tell me she's not fucking here, Aubrey! Tell me you didn't!" Stacie said, glaring at Aubrey.

"I didn't do anything, Stacie! And don't take that tone with me!"

"Guys! What the hell is going on!" Beca said.

Aubrey told Beca and Stacie about the invitation. She failed to mention the part that it was Chloe who received it.

"Uh. You gonna address the elephant in the room, Bree?" CR asked.

"What elephant?" Aubrey glared at Cynthia Rose.

"Uh" Amy said. "How about the fact that Chloe will be there." Everyone's heads snapped to Amy.

Beca froze. She hadn't even thought about seeing Chloe since the girls arrived. Of course it would come up, though. Why wouldn't it. The next thing she knows, she's puking on her living room floor.

Stacie shot Aubrey a glare before going to Beca's aid. "Come on B. Let's get you upstairs and cleaned up."

"I don't want to see her Stace. I can't. Not like this." Beca mumbled while latching onto Stacie.

 _What does she mean not like this. Surely Beca doesn't still want her. Not after everything._ "I know sweetie. One step at a time, ok? I don't want you falling down the stairs." Stacie decided to keep her inner turmoil to herself. She didn't have the right to tell Beca who she should want.

Beca got to her room and ran straight to her bathroom, Sacie hot on her heels. After throwing up some more, Stacie handed her a wet rag to clean her face. "Well. The alcohol should be out of your system by now. Why don't you brush your teeth and I'll get you some pajamas?"

"Stacie. It's 5 p.m."

"Are you telling me you're not tired?" Stacie looked at her knowingly.

"Ugh. No. Fine." Beca brushed her teeth quickly, then stripped down to just her panties. She walked out of her bathroom and heard Stacie scream.

"Holy shit, Beca! Warn somebody next time!" Stacie said as she turned her head and threw Beca her pajamas.

"Since when did you become such a prude?" Beca asked while throwing on the clothes Stacie found for her.

"I am not a prude! A little warning would be nice though."

"Gee. Thanks for the ego boost." Beca said as she climbed into bed.

"You know I didn't mean it like that." Stacie sighed. "Night, Beca."

"Hey, Stace?"

"Yeah?" Stacie said, standing at the doorway. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but Beca looked like she could use some cuddles.

"Um. Well. Uh." Beca sighed. She wanted to ask Stacie to stay, she made her feel safe. She decided against it. "Um. Thanks. You know. For everything. See you tomorrow?"

Stacie sighed. "Course, B. See you tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Dun Dun Dun! Lol. Sorry this took so long guys! Ahhhh! Busy days! I'm still here though! Oh. Just a warning. I am a firm believer in medical marijuana. If you don't like it, you might not want to read this chapter. Or any later ones because I don't know how often I will mention it. You're not going to change my mind about it. Sorry not sorry.**

 **Some revelations are made this chapter. Like Aubrey's weird ass behavior. Kind of. She still pisses me off, but she has since the first movie so... Anyways, hope you enjoy. More to come. I have a few chapters planned out already. Just have to get my wife to give me the time to write them lol.**

 **As always, reviews help greatly. And your support is a serious motivator to keep writing!**

 **Still broken**

Beca woke up the next day with the sweats and shakes yet again. She was tired of it. She looked at her phone and saw that it was 3 in the morning. She groaned and tried to go back to sleep. As she laid there, her mind decided to focus on things she wished it wouldn't. Like Chloe. She hadn't thought about any of it since her feelings came back, but once she was faced with the aspect of seeing Chloe again, her mind had other ideas.

She thought about the locks of red hair. The ocean blue eyes. The smile that lit up a room. She thought about all the cuddles and late night talks. Her mind then drifted to Chloe's body. The way it reacted to Beca's touch. Beca felt herself get aroused as she thought about running her hand from the redheads neck to her core. Then all of a sudden, the visions changed. It was no longer Beca's touch causing Chloe to moan. The hand on Chloe's body was too big and rough. Chloe's nails dug into someone else's back. Someone with short brown hair. Beca could hear deep grunts. She saw Chloe being slammed into by a man. She saw Chloe giving herself to someone else.

Beca's heart squeezed almost to a stop, but this time it didn't. This time, she felt everything. Sobs wrecked through her sweaty body and she couldn't get them under control. She felt her body aching. She felt her heart being ripped from her chest. She felt her life crumbling apart around her. The woman she gave her all to, threw it all back in her face. "Please stop! Please! I can't take it! I don't want it! I change my mind!" Beca screamed as loud as she could trying to shut off her emotions. But it didn't work. She continued laying there. The scene unfolding around her again and again. Then it moved to Chloe trying to convince Beca that it was Beca's fault that she cheated. Anger began to wash over her. The woman she loved pushed her away like she was nothing, and then had the audacity to blame her?

Beca lost control. She shot from the bed as tears continued to fall. Her heart was in her stomach and her blood was boiling. She grabbed the lamp from her nightstand and threw it across the room, causing glass to go everywhere. She started throwing punches all over the room. The bed, walls, doors, it didn't matter. Finally, once her knuckles were too bloody to continue using them, she switched to kicking. Once her feet hurt enough, she started shredding her bedding apart with her bare hands. She was so engulfed in her rage that she didn't hear the bedroom door open.

Aubrey walked into Beca's room after a few loud bangs woke her up. When she walked in she saw Beca shredding a pillow apart, screaming. Aubrey went to Beca as fast as she could and pulled her into her chest. Beca thrashed against her screaming "Why! Please make it stop! I Don't want it!" Aubrey felt Beca's tears soaking her shirt.

"Shhh. It's ok Beca." Aubrey said, pulling Beca's face away from her so she could look into her eyes. Beca stopped thrashing about and stared back with tears still rushing down her face. "It's ok. Please tell me what happened? What's wrong?"

"Why doesn't she love me Bree? What did I do?" Beca sobbed. "I tried everything to make her happy. I worked hard so she wouldn't have to so that she could focus on school. I told her everything about me. I gave her all of me. Why wasn't I enough? She said I was, but clearly I wasn't! What did I do? Please? Just tell me. I know she had to of told you. Please?"

Aubrey sighed. Tears started to fill her eyes. "Oh, sweetie. It wasn't you. You were perfect. This-  
Aubrey sighed and looked away from Beca. "I should've said something. Done something."

With that, Beca pulled away from Aubrey. "What do you mean? What the fuck did you do?"

Neither of them noticed Stacie standing in the doorway, listening.

Aubrey snapped her head back to Beca. Her eyes meeting Beca's confused ones. "I didn't do shit. Chloe came to me and said that she was lonely, Beca! What was I supposed to do? She's my best friend. I couldn't bring myself to betray her. I just couldn't!"

"What the fuck are you talking about, Aubrey?! Tell me! I have the right to know!"

Aubrey sighed. She wasn't planning on having this conversation yet. Chloe didn't even know that she knew. She knew the whole time. That's why she felt so obligated to come here. Her guilt for keeping this from Beca ate at her for six months before they even split up. Then she felt like she had to be there for Chloe. Which made her feel even more guilty. When she saw how broken Chloe was after the breakup, she knew she should have said something sooner, but she didn't so she put the blame on herself. If she would've just said something to Chloe, this whole mess could've been avoided.

"Fuckin tell me, Aubrey! Tell me or get the fuck out of my house!"

"Fine!" Aubrey snapped. "But you are not going to like what I have to say."

Beca nodded.

Aubrey sighed again. "About six months before you two split up, Chloe came to me. She said that she was feeling lonely and that you had been working super hard. I told her to just talk to you about it, but she said no because you were living your dream. She didn't want to take that away from you. That night, I asked her if she wanted to come to a get together with me. It was just a small group of my friends. We were celebrating passing our midterms for that semester. I saw one of the guys in my study group flirting with her that night. I didn't say anything because, I mean, I figured she would tell him off. But as the night went on, she was flirting back, I reasoned with myself, I just thought it was Chloe being Chloe. At the end of the night I was looking for her so that we could leave. I couldn't find her anywhere. I started searching all the rooms. I finally found her in one of the guest rooms, making out with that guy. I shut the door and texted her that I wanted to leave. I played it off like I hadn't seen anything. I figured she would tell me. I mean. I knew she was in love with you, so I knew she would feel horrible about it and then I would convince her to tell you and then you two would work though it."

Beca threw up her hand, motioning for Aubrey to stop. "Wait. So this was going on for six fucking months!"

"Just let me finish!" Aubrey snapped and Beca nodded her agreement. "About twenty minutes later, Chloe came and found me. She was all 'Hey Bree! Ready to go?' Cleary she had just gotten done sleeping with the guy, but she never said anything. I tried prodding her for information. I brought you up a lot after that, but she never said anything. About two months after the party, that guy (Cole) came up to me in class one day and asked what he should get for Valentines day. I gave him a confused look, because obviously I had no idea what he was talking about. He was like 'You know. For my girlfriend? Your best friend?' I was shocked, I asked him what he meant and he said they had been dating ever since that party. I didn't even know how to bring it up after that. Every time I would ask Chloe about you and her, she just said that you were great. She said you were sweet for taking care of everything. She talked about how made her mixes all the time. She said you brought her flowers every Tuesday night. I hoped that she had told you and that you two were trying to make it work. I thought she had broken up with Cole because he never mentioned it again. I was clearly mistaken. I'm so sorry Beca. I should've said something. I should've barged into the room that night and stopped her. I knew she wasn't in the right headspace, but I didn't do anything. I knew she was throwing the best thing in her life away, but I just let it happen. I should've helped her. I should've confronted her." Aubrey started sobbing, throwing her face in her hands.

Beca just let more tears fall. She didn't know what to say. Chloe had a whole different relationship with someone. For six months. _How did that guy not know that Chloe was taken? There were pictures of us all over that apartment. How many times did I sleep in that bed right after him? How many times did I touch her right after him? Why didn't Aubrey tell me? No. No this isn't her fault. I'm not going to let anyone else take the blame for Chloe._ Beca dried her eyes and put her hand on Aubrey's shoulder. Aubrey snapped up to look at Beca. "It's ok, Bree. Stop blaming yourself."

"No it's not, Beca! It is not ok! I am supposed to be her best friend! I'm supposed to stop her when she's being reckless! I'm supposed to help her!"

"No, Bree. Don't you get it?" Beca cried. "You have taken more of the responsibility for this than Chloe has. This isn't on you. This is on her. Yeah. It sucks. I wish you would've told me. I thought we were friends. But it was never your job to make sure that Chloe treated me right."

"We are friends, Beca! At least we were. That's why I'm here."

"No. You're here to alleviate your guilt. You needed to get this off your chest, and you didn't want to confront Chloe and risk losing her, so you chose the safer option." Beca spit out. She could come to terms with what Aubrey did, but she wasn't going to let her lie to her face. Not any more.

"That's not it at all, Beca! I care about you! And I know that Chloe still loves you. I see it on her face all the time. I know she misses you. If you'd just give her the chance to-"

"Enough!" Stacie yelled. Beca and Aubrey snapped their heads to the door. "Aubrey, you need to leave!"

"What?! I'm not going anywhere! Beca needs to hear this."

"Do you even hear what the fuck you are saying? You're still in here trying to help Chloe! Beca just forgave you for some horrible shit, and you're still not worried about her. She is a fucking wreck. She is a fucking alcoholic, Aubrey! And you're in here trying to get her and Chloe back together, without even letting her heal! She needs help! Real fucking help!"

"Yeah! And Chloe could help her! They need to talk through this and work through it together! They clearly still care about each other! Do you see this room? Beca wouldn't have tore this place apart if she didn't want Chloe! You're the one that's thinking about herself!"

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Stacie said as she took a step closer to Aubrey, glaring down at her.

Aubrey stood up and glared back. "Oh, I think you know exactly what that means!"

Beca jumped up and threw her hands in the air. "Enough! You guys know I can hear you, right? Like, I'm right fucking here!"

Both of the girls shut up, but didn't stop glaring at each other.

"Aubrey, I think you should go." Beca said.

"Go? I'm not going anywhere! I took a sabbatical to be here for you."

"No. You took a sabbatical to try and convince me to get back together with Chloe that way you wouldn't feel guilty anymore."

"Are you really trying to convince me that you don't still care about her? Look at this room, Beca! The moment I came in here, you were sobbing about Chloe. Can you really say that you don't want her?"

"Of course I want her, Aubrey! I gave her all of me! All that I had! But that doesn't mean that I forgive her and it doesn't mean that I'll take her back! I also want a bottle of Jack! Do you think I should have it too? Because, if so, you're the only one! Even I'm starting to realize I can't have it! Look at me! It's ruining me! Do I want it? Yes. Should I have it? No! Same goes for Chloe!"

"It is not the same thing, and you know it! Chloe fucked up! She's only human! Everyone deserves a second chance!"

"She didn't just fuck up once, Aubrey! She cheated on me for six fucking months!" Beca started sobbing again and fell back on the bed. Stacie rushed over and sat on the bed, pulling Beca into her arms.

"Right. Not in it for yourself at all, Stacie!" Aubrey spat at the scene in front of her.

"You need to leave, and it needs to happen now. You're making this worse!" Stacie yelled with tears in here eyes, Beca sobbing in her arms.

Aubrey stormed out throwing "I'll be back!" over her shoulder.

Stacie rocked Beca in her arms trying to console her. There was nothing she could say at the moment. All she could do was be there. Aubrey laid some serious shit on Beca's lap. There was nothing anyone could do at the moment.

"Please, Stace. I need a drink. Please. Anything. I'll take a beer. Just give me a drink." Beca whimpered out.

"I can't do that sweetie. You know I can't. Do you still smoke pot?"

"Yeah but it's not the same! It won't make me forget."

"No, but it can help calm your nerves. I can't give you meds, but pot is just as good for what you need." Stacie got up and went and got some weed from her room. When she got back to Beca, she was lying in the middle of her bed in the fetal position, sobbing. "Here sweetie. Come smoke this with me."

Beca looked up at Stacie. She was holding a joint and lit it. She watched as Stacie took a long drag and held it in. Beca sat up and Stacie passed it to her. They sat there and smoked it until it burnt Stacie's finger. "Shit! Should've brought a roach." Beca chuckled.

"Just throw it in my water, Stace. You may want to run some cold water over that." Beca said as she watched Stacie suck on her fingers.

"Ya think?" Stacie deadpanned.

Beca watched as Stacie got up and went to the bathroom. She was a lot calmer, but she could still think about everything. _I can't believe she was seeing someone for six months. How did I miss that? She clearly noticed everything I did for her. The flowers. The mixes. We slept in the same bed every night unless I was out of town for work. How did that Cole fucker not know? Maybe he did know and just didn't give a shit. He sure looked surprised though as he was leaving the apartment. I'm gonna kill him! No. No, this isn't his fault. Stop blaming other people, Beca! Blame Chloe. This is her fault! I'm so fucked up because of her. How did I let her take so much of me? Never again. It won't happen again!_

Stacie walked back into the room and sat on the bed. "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, a little I guess. Should I really be smoking pot though? I mean. Is it really any better?"

"Are you kidding? Well, ok, probably shouldn't smoke it. Edibles are way better than smoking. Smoke of any kind is bad. But it can have the same effects as antidepressants or anxiety meds. It helps with headaches and migraines. It helps with appetite control and mood stabilizing. There are countless ways that pot is better for you than alcohol. One being that it's actually beneficial. Alcohol can only hurt your body. Look. I'm not saying become a pothead, not by a long shot. But are you gonna go see a doctor to get put on meds?"

"No." Beca said matter of factly.

"Well then, consider this Stacie's home remedy. When you're feeling overwhelmed, it can help. You don't want to use it as a means to escape, but would you ask a man with a broken leg not to use a crutch?"

"No." Beca said again.

"Exactly. Mental illness is the same. You can't expect it to get better on it's own. I still recommend seeing someone about it, but this is California. They'd probably prescribe you some pot anyways." Stacie laughed.

Beca thought about it. She knew she wouldn't be able to do this alone. She knew she needed help. But Stacie was right. The pot did calm her nerves. "Can you help me with it though? I don't want to go overboard. Not again."

Stacie sighed. "Beca, I'll help as much as I can. You know that. But I'm not a psychiatrist. They can give you the tools you need to really work through everything. Please just consider it? I have a lot of friends in the field, and I'm sure I could find someone perfect for you. I know how you are. You just need someone to help navigate you through your thoughts."

"Maybe, Stacie. But right now I just want to sleep. Or maybe, eat. I can't really tell."

"Well, it has been quite a while since you've eaten. How about we go down and make a snack then come up here and throw on some trashy TV until you pass out?"

Beca smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

A whole family size pizza and two hours of Ridiculousness later, Beca was passed out with her head on Stacie's lap. Stacie leaned back against the pillows and went to sleep. There was no way she was going to risk waking Beca up by moving. Not after everything that happened. She was just glad Beca was able to sleep. Even though it was nearly seven in the morning. She was sure one of the other girls would come wake them after a while anyways.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Hey guys. So this chapter is basically a warning about lack of communication. It is also the start of Chloe getting what she deserved in the first place. Basically, just remember to communicate with the people you care about. Ok? Ok. Don't worry. I'm still pissed at Chloe, but this chapter is all about what happens when you assume shit. On with the show!**

 **As always. Reviews help. You guys are awesome.**

 **Fat chance**

It had been two days since Chloe had spoken to Aubrey. Two days since she found out about Barden. And exactly one hour since she received the cryptic text from Stacie.

Stacie- "We know everything. All of us. Leave Beca alone."

 _What the hell does that even mean?_ Without Aubrey answering her phone. She had no way to find out. Chloe started pacing in her living room for the umpteenth time. Finally she decided to call Stacie.

" _What the fuck do you want, Chloe?"_

"Well." Chloe wrangled in her anger from Stacie's tone. "I'd like to know what that text meant."

" _It means exactly what it said. We know, Chloe. We know everything. Beca doesn't need you. Now I'm even more certain about that. She won't be coming to that Barden bullshit, and neither will I or Amy."_

"Stacie! I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about! Why don't you just tell me what happened instead of coming at me like that?!"

" _We know about that Cole fucker! We know about the fucking relationship you had going on with him, Chloe!"_

"Stop! Just stop! What the fuck are you talking about?" Chloe's heart was racing. How did anyone know about her and Cole? She slept with him one time and the fucker turned into a damn stalker. She had to threaten him with calling the cops in order to get him to stop.

" _Aubrey told Beca about you and him, Chloe! Why are you denying it! We know that Beca walked in on you and him on your fucking anniversary! We know that Aubrey caught you and him at that party! Why do you keep trying to fucking defend yourself?"_

 _Aubrey? Aubrey told Beca I was seeing someone for six months? She told her it was Cole? What the actual fuck is happening?_ "Stacie! I wasn't seeing Cole for six fucking months! Yes. I slept with him at the party. Yes. It was wrong. I felt horrible about it. I don't know why the fuck I did it. I felt horrible. I have no idea why Aubrey thinks we were seeing each other. The guy was practically stalking me after that!" Chloe sobbed. "And yes. I cheated on Beca on our anniversary, and she caught me. It wasn't Cole though! I was really depressed that day! Beca left that morning without saying anything to me. I lost it. I went to a bar in the middle of the afternoon and brought some random guy home. I don't even know his fucking name! I just wanted to be close to someone. I fucked up. I know I did. I fucked up with Cole. I fucked up by not telling Beca about it. And then I fucked up by fucking another person. But I wasn't in another relationship with someone else! Stacie, I loved Beca! Shit I still do! I know I have a fucked up way of showing it. And I know I let you girls and Beca down by being selfish and not telling you what happened. The only reason I've made it through everything is because of Aubrey! And now she won't answer me. I don't know what to do! I know that you don't care. And you have every right to feel that way. I'm sorry about everything, Stace. I truly am. So fucking sorry." Chloe continued sobbing.

Chloe heard Stacie sigh through the phone. " _Look, Chloe. I get that people fuck up. I'm no angel either. But It's not just about that. You fooled us, Chloe. You fooled all of us. Including Beca. We thought we knew you, and for you to do all this? Well. It's like we didn't know you at all. Yeah, I'll admit, I am relieved that you weren't in a relationship with that Cole guy. But that doesn't really change anything, ya know?"_

Chloe wiped her tears and struggled to regain her voice. "Yeah. I know. I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I've been so fucking selfish ever since Beca graduated. Fuck! What the hell is the matter with me, Stacie?"

" _I don't know, Chloe. I gotta go though."_ Stacie hung up.

Chloe was pissed. Yeah, she finally let Stacie know everything. But now that she was off the phone, she had time to think about everything that Stacie had said. She thought about Aubrey. Aubrey was supposed to be her best friend, and yet she was off running her mouth about shit she knew nothing about. _Why didn't she ask me about it first? Why did she have to go off and tell Beca so much shit? Did she really think that low of me? I know I fucking cheated, but Jesus! Aubrey needs to answer her damn phone!_ Chloe decided to text Aubrey since she was obviously ignoring the calls.

Chloe- "Aubrey fucking Posen! You better answer your damn phone!"

Aubrey- "Don't take that tone with me, Chloe! I have had a horrible headache the last two days, and I can't handle you right now!"

Chloe- "Can't handle me? You can't handle me?! You lied to Beca about me and then you want to just ignore me?! What kind of shit is that?"

Aubrey- "Lie? What lie? I finally told her the truth, Chloe! I want to help you, but I can't do that without everything being out in the open!"

Chloe- "Don't you think maybe you should've talked to me first? Maybe found out the truth before spouting shit that you knew nothing about!"

Aubrey- "Chloe. I seriously can't handle this right now. I am having a really bad day and I really just need to be alone and figure shit out."

Chloe tried calling Aubrey. Yeah she wanted to yell at her, but she also wanted to figure out what was going on with her. Aubrey didn't answer. Chloe threw her phone across the room and regretted it the moment it left her hand. "Shit! Please don't be broken! Please don't be broken!"

 **XXXX**

Stacie walked back into Beca's house after the phone call with Chloe. Her head was spinning. She knew she needed to tell Beca the truth, but had no idea how to go about doing so. She didn't want Beca to think that she was taking Chloe's side. Or that she forgave her. But she knows that Beca deserves the truth. All Beca has ever wanted is for people to be honest with her. Stacie understood that. She had been lied to and looked down on her whole life. Everyone saw her as a dumb slut. Everyone except Beca. Beca never once judged her for her sexual side. She barely ever mentioned it. Their conversations throughout college were always about the future. Beca never pushed her to slow down on her promiscuity. She always just asked about her hopes and dreams, and in return Stacie asked about Beca's. They knew each others' plans for the future. Stacie was shocked when Beca turned down the opportunity to go to LA because of Chloe.

For a long time, Stacie resented Chloe for it. Finally she realized why Beca did it. Stacie slowed her hunter down. She started trying to find love. She knew Beca was off limits and she was ok with that. She realized that true love was worth changing your dreams for. Stacie would've changed her dreams for Beca if the situation called for it. But she knew Beca would never ask her to do that, even if they were together. Beca knew how much Stacie wanted fer dreams to become a reality, and Stacie knew the same about Beca's. Then once Beca left, she thought Beca had fooled her. Lied to her, like everyone else. She started doubting love again. She set her hunter loose once again. She blamed Beca. And now, everything was turned upside down. She needed Beca to hear the truth. Lies made everything worse, but she was terrified. She knew how much Beca loved Chloe, she was willing to change her dreams for her. Would Beca forgive Chloe? Could she? Would she put her life on hold again for her? Would she give up everything for her? Stacie shook her head. _It doesn't matter. No matter what happens, Beca deserves the truth._

"Hey legs, you good? I can hear your wheels turning from over here." Beca called from the kitchen.

"Yeah!" Stacie said with a bit too much squeak in her voice. She coughed to clear it. "Yeah, I'm good. But we should talk."

"Yeah, sure. But it'll have to wait. I'm meeting with Natasha today. Gotta go over her contract with her manager present. Got to get everything finalized before we can proceed to making sweet, sweet music." Beca laughed.

"Oh. Shit that's right. Sorry, I totally spaced. Give me a minute and we can go."

"You don't have to go Stace." Beca said as she stood to put her bowel in the sink. "I can handle it. Seriously. I haven't drank anything. I'm not even sweating today, which is good because I don't need my new client thinking I'm always sick." Beca laughed again.

Stacie loved Beca's real laugh, but that wasn't it. SHe knew Beca wasn't saying something, she just didn't know what. "You know damn well you're not going in alone. Especially since Donald will be there. I don't trust that ass hat."

"Stace, he's not that bad. Yeah, he does shit mainly for himself, but he wants what's best for me. Because what's best for me is what's best for him. He won't try anything. Not as long as I keep working."

"That's not exactly inspiring, Beca. What if you need time off? What if something happens? He needs to know that it's not ok to just give in to your every whim."

"Stace. Calm down. I'll talk to him. Relax. I'm not saying you can't come with me, I'm just saying that you don't have to."

Stacie nodded. "Ok. But I want to. So give me a minute and we'll get going."

 **XXXX**

Stacie and Beca made their way to Beca's office where Natasha, her manager, and Donald were already waiting. "Hey B. Before we go in there, I just wanted to say I'm proud of you. I know you took a little detour, but you did it. You made your dreams come true. No one else did it for you. You don't owe anything to anyone else. You did this."

Beca beamed at Stacie, a true genuine smile. She didn't know why it meant so much to hear that. But no one had actually said that to her before. "I really did huh? Thanks, Stace. Means a lot." Beca then went into her office with Stacie hot on her heels.

"Beca!" Natasha said. "So good to see you again. This is my manager Roger."

Stacie rolled her eyes at Natasha's giddiness.

"Hi, Natasha. Good to see you too." Beca shook her hand then proceeded to shake Roger's. Donald stayed quiet, he was only there as a formality. He really had no say in what was going on here. He just made the initial introduction.

"Please, call me Nat will you?"

"Sure, no problem. Have a seat."

"Wait." Roger said. "Who's your friend?" He was looking directly at Stacie with a glint in his eye. Beca wasn't sure why that pissed her off, but it did.

"This is Stacie. Very good friend of mine. She is just here observing today." Beca said rather coldly.

Stacie gave her an odd look but ignored it for the most part. She had other things to worry about.

Once the meeting was done, Stacie finally tuned back into the conversation.

"Great! This looks awesome Becs!" Nat said.

Beca flinched at the nickname. No one had called her that in a very long time. Not since Chloe. Natasha noticed this and began to ramble. "Sorry. Got a little excited. Not a fan of nicknames I guess?"

"Well. Just not that one." Beca laughed half heartedly. "Technically Beca is a nickname anyways. So kind of a moot point don't you think?"

"True." Nat laughed. "Sorry again. Anyways. We were going to go out for a drink or two to celebrate. Would you and your friend like to join us?"

Stacie went rigid. She turned to Beca and was about to protest when Donald interrupted her. "That sounds great! Doesn't it Beca? Give you a chance to get to know your new talent before all the work begins!" Stacie would've killed Donald then and there if there weren't so many witnesses. _Maybe I should ask Lilly for her rates._

"Um." Beca said, looking at Stacie. "Actually guys, I have some work to do here. How about we get together before we start your sessions. Maybe have a cookout or something. Some place a little more comfortable than a bar or club, ya know?"

"Oh yeah! That sounds fun! We can totally do that, right Roger?" Nat said while beaming at Beca. She was bummed that Beca wouldn't be joining them, but she was glad to be offered a alternative.

"Well that depends." Roger said. "Are you going to be there, Stacie?"

"Of course I'll be there." Stacie said while staring at Natasha, who was staring at Beca, while Beca was staring at Roger.

"Great! Then just send Nat here a time and place and we'll be there." Roger said turning back to Beca.

"Yeah sure. I've got your number in the file. I'll shoot you a text so you know it's me." Beca said.

Stacie still didn't have Beca's number so she was kind of irritated by this. All this time and she hadn't even thought about getting it from her. But she was proud that Beca didn't agree to go out with them tonight. That could've been bad.

After Natasha and her manager left, Stacie turned to Donald. "Look you little Abercrombie wanna be, don't put Beca in a position like that again. She's trying to stay sober-"

Donald cut Stacie off. "Don't tell me what's best for my client. I was simply trying to encourage her to get to know Natasha."

"Yeah, around drinking, you asshole! Get it through your skull! She's a recovering alcoholic!"

Donald took a step towards Stacie but Beca jumped in between them. "Enough! Guys stop! Stacie is right, Donald. I don't want to be put in a compromising position. I need to steer clear of that. I've been doing my research and a bar would definitely be a trigger. So just stop. I get that I'm going to have to be around it eventually in my line of work, but it's still too soon. I'm doing the best I can here, but can we not push it?"

Stacie smiled at Beca and threw her arm around her shoulder in a kind of side hug. "I'm proud of you, Beca. Ready to head out?"

"Yeah sure. Just let me grab my stuff."

Donald huffed. "Look. You're right. I'm sorry. I just don't want you pushed to the sidelines. It's easy to get lost in the background in this industry. I just want to help you stay relevant."

"I get that, Donald. But just. Try not to be such a duech ok?" Beca said while patting his shoulder. Donald nodded and apologized again before heading out of the office.

"Hey, Beca?" Stacie said.

"Yeah?"

"Can I see your phone?" Beca handed it over without question and Stacie smiled. "Thanks." She then unlocked the phone, of course Beca hadn't changed it, and then called her own phone from it. She saved her number in Beca's phone then gave it back. "There. Now if you need me and I'm not around, you can just call."

Beca chuckled. "Thanks, weirdo. Let's head out of here."

As Beca and Stacie made their way out of the building, Aubrey jumped in front of them.

"Jesus Christ, blondie! Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack? WHere the hell have you been?" Beca said.

Stacie just glared at Aubrey. She still didn't have the chance to tell Beca the truth about Chloe, and she wasn't sure if Aubrey had talked to Chloe about everything yet. She just had to let whatever this was unfold.

"Where have I been? You told me to leave. And I'm here to apologize." Aubrey saud.

"Yeah. I meant for the night you asshole! I needed you to just stop so I could think. I didn't mean for you to just disappear on me." Beca said. "You showed up. All of you did. And though your motives may be fucked, you're here. I'm not going to push any of you away any more. Even though you can be a bitch and a royal pain in my ass, you're here. We may not be the best of friends, especially when it comes to the Chloe situation, but still."

Aubrey sighed. "Look. I know I've went about this the wrong way. I've been stewing over everything the last two days. I love Chloe. She's my best friend. And, like I've said, I think you still love her. But I've decided not to mention it any more until you're better. Stacie was right. You need to be in a good place before confronting all that. I really do want to be your friend, Beca. I've just been protecting Chloe for so long that it's hard to shut it off. We've been there for each other for so long that it's hard to put her on the back burner, ya know?"

Beca nodded. "Yeah, I get it Bree. Just. I don't want to hear about the shit right now? I don't want to hear about her or her life. I just want to get back to myself. I can't handle that and Chloe at the same time. She broke me, Aubrey. Not just my heart, my entire being was shattered. I don't need that in my life."

Stacie stood there looking between the two. She couldn't believe Beca was so willing to forgive Aubrey. Like, really? How did she not see how fucked up it was for Aubrey to do what she did, and then to come here and pretend to be Beca's friend while pushing her own agenda all along. Beca might've been buying all the shit Aubrey was saying, but Stacie wasn't. She was going to keep a close eye on Aubrey. She still wasn't sure what to make of this all forgiving Beca though. That concerned her more than anything. Sure, forgiveness is great, but why was she so eager to let it go? It didn't make any sense.

 **A/N 2: I'm not entirely sure on the end of this chapter. I know what Beca and Aubrey are both thinking and planning, but I'm trying to keep it hidden from you guys for now. Stacie is kind of like you guys for me. On the outside looking in. Wondering what the hell is going on. Just know that I do have a plan.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Hey hey guys! Sorry it's been so long. I had a hectic week and really just wanted to rest after work, but I promise I'm not leaving this dead. Just a busy week. I really hope you guys like this one. I really enjoyed writing it. If not, well, that sucks lol.**

 **I'm planning on writing more tomorrow, so hopefully I can get two more updates out this weekend before going back to work. No promises though.**

 **Stay awesome and please please review. It really helps. Sorry for any mistakes.**

 **What is happening**

Beca walked into her house with Stacie hot on her heels. "Beca, what the hel-"

Stacie was cut off by a terrifying scene happening in the living room. Amy had Jessica pinned to the couch. Ashley was trying to peel Amy off. It wasn't working. Cynthia Rose was arguing with Flo in the corner. It looked like they were about to rip each other's faces off. Lilly was standing over a crying Emily, with a knife in her hand.

"Guys!" Beca yelled. "What the hell is going on!"

Everyone stopped and stared at Beca and Stacie. Amy was the first to speak. "They're traitors. The lot of them."

"Who's traitors? What are you talking about, Amy?"

"These tit bags want to go to that stupid festival circus thing! At Barden!"

"Wait, what?" Beca asked. "Why is that causing a fucking riot in my living room?"

"Because, Shawshank!"

"Ok. No. Tell me what happened." Stacie said.

Emily piped in then. "We were all talking, and Jessica and Ashley voiced how they would like to go to the Barden thing. Flo and I want to go too. I mean. Not because we don't support you, Beca. Of course we do. But this is for the Bellas. All of the Bellas. I was trying to get everyone to calm down, but Amy attacked Jessica, and CR went off on Flo and then Lilly started chasing me with a knife and now I think I have soiled your rug." Emily saw Lilly smile at her.

Lilly whispered in Emily's ear. "I was just trying to cut the tag off of your shirt. I'll remember to voice that when I travel back, again."

Emily's face went blank. She reached behind her back, and sure enough, the price tag was still on her shirt. She chose to ignore the last part of Lilly's sentence, but she felt much better and let her shoulders relax.

Beca sighed. "Look guys. I'm not upset or mad that you want to go. You're free to do as you please, obviously. I won't think any less of you. I swear. Please, don't miss it just because of me."

"Really? You're really ok with it?" Emily asked.

"Yes. Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well. Because of Chloe."

"Legacy. Listen to me. The Bellas were more than just me and Chloe. I don't expect you to not go just because I won't be. You're all leaving in a couple days anyways right? It's not like I'll know." Beca laughed.

"Well." Amy piped in. "They might be leaving, but I'm not. I'm staying right here with you Short Stack. I've found me a house."

"Amy. You hate it here."

"Not true. Have you seen all of the yummy bodies on the beach? Between legs over there and myself, we'll be busy for years to come. Plus I'm pretty sure I just have to walk through town a few more times, and I'll be asked to be in the next big movie! How could anyone resist throwing my sexy fat ass on the big screen?"

Everyone laughed at that. Amy always was able to break up the tension.

"I'm not leaving either, actually." Stacie said. "I can work from anywhere. I'm staying."

"Shit cap. I'd stay too if I didn't have to get back to the base. You know that right?"

"I know, CR. I don't blame you. I get it completely." Beca said. "I just want to say, thanks. Thank you. All of you. For showing up, ya know? And I promise, once you leave, I won't change my number. And I plan on sending you all completely inappropriate messages at random times of the day."

Stacie waited until the rest of the girls went to bed to confront Beca. It took forever. Hours of ridiculously mind numbing conversation. She loved catching up with the girls, but she heard all of this before. They were mainly talking to Beca. Trying to catch her up on the last three years of their lives. Beca didn't add much to the conversation. She just sat, listening intently, so Stacie kept thinking about the conversation she needed to have with the smaller girl. She thought about it quite a bit, she knew Beca had to have a reason for being so calm. For being so forgiving. She didn't snap at Aubrey at all. It didn't make any sense. Aubrey had kept so much from Beca, how could she not be mad at her?

Finally, hours later, all of the girls went off to bed. Beca went to leave for her room, but Stacie stopped her. "Beca. Can I talk to you?"

Beca sighed and plopped back down on her couch. "Sure Stace, what's up?"

"Well. That's what I want to ask you. Look." Stacie sighed, trying to calm her nerves for this conversation. "I know we haven't been around each other in a long time. But I know you, Beca. At least I thought I did. You have been acting. Well. A bit too calm. I mean, you let Aubrey off with not even a scowl today. What the fuck was that? Are you seriously not mad at her?"

"No, Stace. I'm not mad at her. I had some time to think about it. Honestly, I can't even blame her for not telling me."

"What?! Are you serious right now? She was supposed to be your friend too, Beca!"

"Yeah. Yeah I get that. But Aubrey and Chloe have been friends since they were in diapers. The only reason Aubrey and I even talked was because of Chloe. They might as well be sisters. I don't think that Aubrey approved of Chloe cheating on me, and I am really surprised that she never confronted Chloe. I don't get that part, but I do get her not telling me. If your sister were cheating on her husband, would you tell him? Would you go behind Irene's back and tell Josh?"

"That's not the same thing."

"How is it not? You hang out with Josh just as much as I used to hang out with Aubrey. You talk about the same type of shitme and Aubrey used to talk about. The main connection you have with him is Irene. If you caught her cheating, would you tell him?"

Stacie was shocked. She didn't have an answer. She wanted to say 'yes, of course I would!' but, would she? Probably not. Would she ask her sister about it? Absolutely. But would she be the one to tell Josh? Would she betray her sister because she was cheating? Stacie liked Josh. She really did. But she loved Irene. She had her back no matter what. She would stand by her side, no matter what. "Shit."

"Exactly. Don't you get it, Stace? Yeah, Aubrey is here, probably trying to get me back with Chloe because she feels like she let her best friend down, not me. She probably blames herself for not stopping Chloe. Which is insane! I know it's insane. What happened is no one's fault but Chloe's. But this is Aubrey Posen we are talking about. She thinks she can control everything. And when something fucks up, she wants it fixed her way. Hell, she probably really thinks she's here to help me. And in some twisted way, she might be. But this is about her fixing her mistake with her best friend, in some roundabout way. She's kind of a mess." Beca laughed.

"So. You're ok with her trying to get you and Chloe back together?" This was the part that Stacie feared most. She didn't want Beca to be broken again. Well. Not that she was all better now, but still. She had let Beca go when Chloe did. She regretted it, but she was trying to move forward. She was trying to get her friend back. She had considered Beca her best friend. But sitting here thinking about it. She never actually treated Beca as one. She completely turned her back on Beca, and that made her feel horrible. Even Amy was trying to track Beca down a few months ago. Why hadn't Stacie searched for Beca? Why did she shun her so easily?

If Beca was her best friend, shouldn't she have pushed everything else aside and been there for her like Aubrey was for Chloe? Stacie confided in Beca about her biggest fears and doubts. Beca knew things about her that no one else did. So why did Stacie let her go. _Because you're in love with her you idiot! Yeah. Probably. But then wouldn't that have made me go after her? I mean. She was finally single. Wouldn't I have went after her. No. Because if Beca could cheat on Chloe then she could definitely cheat on me. I mean. Chloe is so bubbly and loveable. How can I compete with that? What the hell can I offer Beca? That's why. That's why I got so pissed at Beca. When I thought Beca cheated on Chloe, it made me realize that I would never be good enough for her. And that pissed me off. How does that even make sense? God, I'm so fucked up. And now? Obviously I know Beca didn't cheat. But does that really change anything? I mean, could I be better than Chloe? I shouldn't even be thinking about this! Beca is in no place to be with anybody! Stop being such a horn dog, Conrad!_

"Stace!" Beca was snapping and waving in front of Stacie's face. "Hello! Earth to Stacie. Are you in there?"

"Huh? What? Uh. Yeah. Shit, sorry. What were you saying?"

"I said, of course I'm not ok with it. And then you just kind of blacked out on me. You good? You ok?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Just wrapped up in my head for a minute. Sorry. So. You're not ok with it, but yet you want Aubrey to stay?"

Beca sighed. "Look. I don't really know what I want. Not really. I've been trying. You guys have helped me so much, even Aubrey, I really need to give her a chance. I fucked up by disappearing. I know that. So I need to give her a chance. Chloe may have been cheating on me for six fucking months, but I can't hold that against Aubrey. If she says that she wants to be my friend, then how can I stop her from trying when she went through so much crap to be here?"

"Yeah. About that. Aubrey was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean." Stacie sighed. She really wished she could have a drink, but that was obviously out of the question. "Chloe wasn't seeing that guy for six months." Stacie went on to tell Beca everything that she knew. Everything that Chloe told her. She wasn't sure how Beca was going to take this information, but she knew she deserved the truth.

"So. Wait. So she cheated on me with two different guys? What the fuck?" Beca shot up from her spot on the couch and started pacing the room. "Am I that fucking horrible, Stacie? Like what the actual fuck? I know I'm not the most attractive person in the world, but, Jesus! I should've known. She was too good to be true. How could someone like that really love me? I'm so fucking sarcastic. I'm broody. I'm horrible at communication. I'm so fucking awkward. I should've known I wouldn't be good enough for her. Fuck. I did know, actually. I told her that. I told her in the beginning that she would get tired of me. She swore she wouldn't. Swore she loved me. That's where I fucked up. I believed her. I let her convince me that I was better than how I actually saw myself. Why did I do that, Stacie? If I would've just listened to myself, I wouldn't have bored her for three fucking years. I should've been a better friend to her, and just walked away. At least then she wouldn't have wasted so much of her fucking time with me. I mean-"

Stacie had enough and jumped up too. She grabbed Beca by her arms and forced her to stop pacing and to look at her. "You stop, right fucking now. Are you listening to yourself? Seriously? You sat there and said you couldn't blame Aubrey for Chloe's fuck up, and yet, here you are. Blaming yourself. How does that make sense? You are awesome, Beca. Yeah, you have issues, but who the hell doesn't? And seriously? You are smoking hot! Looks had nothing to do with it! Chloe was supposed to know you. She should've talked to you if she was having issues, but she chose not to. You're not a mind reader, Beca. Hell, she knows you're terrible at reading signs. She flirted with you for years. She had to literally tell you that she wanted you, in order for you to see it. She should've known that she had to say something in order to fix it. You spent freshman through junior year completely oblivious to her feelings. How could she possibly think that you would just guess that something was wrong. Stop blaming yourself. Just stop."

Beca fell into sobs while Stacie held her. "I just don't know how to feel, Stacie. I know she fucked up. I know I should hate her. I don't though. I miss her. I miss how she made me feel. No one looks at me the way she used to look at me. She used to make me feel like I was the only person in the world. She used to kiss me like she needed it to live. How am I ever going to find that again? How am I ever going to be able to trust anyone ever again? Chloe fucking Beale, love incarnate, fucking cheated on me. If I was able to push her away, how is anyone else going to stand me?"

Stacie's heart was breaking and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She couldn't tell Beca that she thought she was the most beautiful person in the world. She couldn't tell her that she loved her sarcasm and awkward tendencies. She couldn't tell her, because Beca wouldn't believe her. She couldn't tell her that every time Beca smiled, her knees went weak. How that smirk made her heart melt. How her quick one liners made Stacie's heart flutter. But she wished she could. She wished Beca saw her the way she saw Beca. Stacie couldn't do that to herself. Especially not after Beca practically just admitted that she was still in love with Chloe. Maybe Aubrey was right. But. No. No she wasn't because Chloe doesn't deserve Beca. Chloe held the most precious treasure in her hands, and threw it away like garbage. She didn't deserve the love that Beca held for her. Beca may be in love with Chloe, but Chloe clearly isn't in love with Beca. If she were, she wouldn't have been able to do that. Stacie would've never done that. If Beca were to take Chloe back, Beca would only get hurt again. Stacie may not be able to have Beca, but that doesn't mean that Chloe should.

 _I'll just help Beca find someone better. I love her. She deserves to be happy. Truly fucking happy._ "Beca, sweetie, listen to me. You're feeling all of this now, because you didn't let yourself feel it three years ago. You need to go through the whole breakup stage. You will find someone. You will love someone. And they will love you. Because you are loveable, Beca. Don't let what she did fuck with your head. Don't let her beat you down."

Beca sniffled and pulled away from Stacie. "If only you saw me like that. Maybe I wouldn't have wasted the last six years of my life."

"What?" Stacie went frigid. Her face paled. She could feel cold sweat running down her back.

"Nothin, Stace. I'll see you later. I've gotta try to sleep. I'm exhausted. This has been the longest day ever."

Stacie shook it off. "Yeah. Sure. Night Beca." Stacie watch Beca leave and head upstairs. _She didn't mean it like that, Stacie. Calm the fuck down. It's just something friends say. 'If only we liked each other, that'd be so much easier.' People say that kind of shit to their friends all the time. But that's not what she said. No, but that's what she meant. She's just tired. Get over yourself, Conrad._

Stacie headed up the stairs and into her own room. Once she was done with her night time rituals she plopped down on her bed. _Well. Beca was right about one thing. This was the longest day ever._ She closed her eyes and started counting backwards from 100 over and over again. She couldn't let her mind focus on Beca. If she did, she would never sleep. After about the 30th time counting, she finally dozed off into a restless sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Hey guys. OMG. I love this chapter so much. My heart raced while writing it. Warning. Bechloe confrontation here. I really hope I worded how I was imagining Beca feeling good enough. I really enjoyed writing it. It pulled my heart strings. I really hope it does yours too, but, you're not in my head so... Maybe not. But it doesn't matter cuz it was awesome to write. It's shorter but it was so fun! Well. Not really fun to get myself in that mindset but.. You know what I mean.**

 **Anyways. I really hope you enjoy.**

 **Reviews are awesome and they tend to spark ideas ;) Mistakes are mine. Sorry. :/**

 **Until we go down**

Ever since Beca talked to Stacie a couple nights ago, it's like the flood gates opened. She plastered on the best smile she could during the day. Stacie continued to follow her to work so she couldn't drink, and Beca was too scared to ask Stacie for more pot. She didn't want any questions that she didn't know how to answer. Sure, she could've gotten it herself or had someone else do it, but then- her luck -Stacie would smell it and start asking said questions.

She sat in her pitch black room, eyes open toward the ceiling. Her stomach was turning and all she wanted was to dull the pain. Her heart would pound really hard then all of a sudden would stop and drop to her stomach. She couldn't understand why everyone that was supposed to love her, left her. In one way or another, they left. She thought Chloe would be different. Beca wasn't stupid. She knew Chloe had liked her since she auditioned for the Bellas. But Beca wasn't having it. She couldn't let her get that close. She chose Jesse, the safe option. She knew she wouldn't get too attached to him. By the end of her junior year though, she was ready to give in. Chloe weasled her way in. Built up her trust. Beginning of summer came and, boom, they were together.

It was great. So fucking great. They made it through everything. The disaster with the president. Beating DSM at worlds. A few fights here and there, but nothing major. Then they graduated, and it was still great. Chloe went to vet school, and it was still great. Yeah, Beca had to work a lot to make sure the bills were paid, but it was still great. That last year was a little more rough. Beca was just trying to make sure she would make a name for herself so that she could provide a good life for Chloe. She didn't want Chloe to have to be the breadwinner. She didn't want Chloe to have to stress if Beca didn't make enough. They lived in Atlanta for Christ's sake. It may not have been as expensive as LA or New York but it was still expensive. She didn't want Chloe to have to live in an apartment forever. She wanted a home for them. She knew Chloe wanted kids, so she needed to be able to provide.

Then their anniversary came around and Beca's world stopped spinning. Three years later and it finally started rotating again, only now, she wished it would stop. She wasn't sure how long she had been laying there. She could feel her tears soaking her hair.

 _Why did I trust her? No. I know why I trusted her, she was trustworthy. What the hell happened? Maybe it was my fault. Is there a conversation I don't remember? One where Chloe told me she wasn't happy? I mean. It's not like we didn't have sex. And since she wasn't in a relationship with that guy, then obviously she didn't just miss the affection. Because then she wouldn't have just had sex with someone. That didn't make any sense. Holy shit. Maybe I suck in bed. Was that it? I mean. She sure as hell seemed like she got off each time. But. A lot of women fake it right? I mean, I've faked it before. Never with Chloe though. Chloe was so good with her hands. And her mouth. Shit! Stop, Beca! Stop thinking about it. You're torturing yourself. You're never gonna know!_

Beca flopped over and screamed into her pillow. Then she froze. An idea sprung to life in her head. _Maybe I can know. I mean. That's why I'm going crazy right? Not knowing? That drives most people crazy. I wonder if Chloe's number is the same. I mean. She never tried to call me or anything, so why would she change it? Is it weird that I have it memorized? That's weird right? I could just say I got it from one of the Bellas. She'd believe that. Oh God. No! You're not going to do this, Beca! You're not going to call her! Don't give her the satisfaction! You can get over this. Best way to get over someone is to get under someone new. What about that Natasha chick. Would that be ethical? I mean producers sleep with artists all the time. It's not like I'd hold it over her head or anything. If she doesn't want to then I wouldn't force it obviously. I mean. She's hot, right? She seems nice enough._

 _Yeah. But wait. No. She reminds me a bit too much of me. That's weird, right? Ugh. Maybe I should just let Stacie hook me up. Lord knows I can't do it without some liquid courage. Stacie would kill me. Stacie. God, that girl is gorgeous. I can't believe I almost asked her out before Chloe asked me. Ha. Fat chance. Ah fuck. Chloe. Why the fuck did she have to just rip my whole life apart? I mean, we were friends once right? Surely that in and of itself deserved a heads up. I mean, anything. Something like 'Hey, Beca. So I know we're dating and everything, but as my best friend I think I should tell you that I'm not happy with our sex life and I think I want to sleep with other people.' I mean. I could respect that. No, obviously we wouldn't have stayed together, but we might still be friends. Maybe then she could tell me how to improve on whatever flaws she found. I mean. We told each other shit, right? She was my best fucking friend. She knows about my dad. My mom. Every life changing event I've had. She knows all of my embarrassing stories thanks to a few too many tequila shots and some cuddle sessions prior to dating. I know all about her family. The shit she went through with previous Bellas. Her lifetime friendship with Aubrey. How she got that damn beautiful scar. I mean. We told each other shit._

 _Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal to her, to tell me things. I mean. She wasn't exactly an introvert or anything. She liked people, and she liked talking. Maybe I wasn't that special. Maybe I only felt special because she was special to me? I mean. I told her things that I never told anyone. I told her about my deepest shit. Maybe I just projected how I felt about her back to myself. Maybe I was just another friend to her._ Beca's heart squeezed tight and dropped again at the thought. Tears started flowing again and she sobbed. _God, did I really tell someone who didn't really care about me, all of my most sacred stories. She didn't care. She never cared. I can't live like this. I have to know. I just have to._

Beca ripped her phone off the charger and dialed then called the memorized number before she could talk herself out of it. She turned on her bedside lamp. She knew it was late. She hoped she would wake Chloe's ass up. She hoped that she had an early day tomorrow. Serves her right. She sat there holding her breath. _She probably won't answer. I'll just leave a voicemail. People still do that shit right? I have shit to say and I'm gonna say it god dammit!_

" _Hello?"_

"Uh" Beca froze. Her heart pounding ninety miles per hour. _Shit she answered. Holy fuck._

"Hello? Who is this?"

 _God, she sounds good. She was definitely sleeping. That's definitely Chloe sleepy time voice. Shit. No! Good! I woke her ass up!_

"Look weirdo, I can hear you breathing. Who the hell is this?"

Beca chuckled then sobered herself up a second later. "Um. Hey. Chloe. Hey, Chloe."

The line was silent.

"Chloe?"

" _Beca? Oh my god! OH MY GOD! Beca?!"_

"Yeah. Yeah. That's me."

" _Oh my god. Oh my god."_

"Actually, no. Not quite, I don't think. I mean. I'd have powers if I was a god right? That's one of the perks?" _Smooth, Mitchell. Crack jokes. Break the ice. Get her guard down._

Chloe laughed and it made Beca's heart squeeze tighter. Another Chloe vise on her heart. _Shit. Keep it together._

"So. Um. Do you have a minute. To like, um, talk. About. You know. Stuff. Like. What happened. Like uh." _That was english right? That sounded ok, yeah? Fuck. Don't cry. STOP CRYING!_

" _Yeah. Yeah, of course. Sure. I mean. Yeah, we could do that."_

Beca could hear the panic in Chloe's voice. She loved it. "So. I just have a few questions. And I don't expect long, drawn out, sentimental, bull shit answers. But. I do need some answers. Just quick. Short version ones. I don't need details. Got it?"

" _Yeah. Ok. Yeah, I think I can do that."_

"Good. So. Let's start with the easiest question, How many times did you cheat on me? Cuz I only knew about the one time but I've heard some things recently, so I'd like to know."

" _Bec, I-"_

"Nope! I know that voice, Chloe. No excuses. No back story. Just an answer, Please. That's all I'm asking. Please respect that."

Chloe sighed. " _Ok. Twice."_ Chloe's voice broke " _But I-"_

"Nope! Please! Just. No." Beca gave a pause to make sure Chloe would listen. "Next question. Little bit harder. For me anyways. And please don't lie to cushion the blow. We know how that turns out. Did you ever care about me? Like as a friend. Like, before we were together. Was I anything more that just another friend?"

" _Beca, how can you ask me that? Of course you were! You were my best friend. I-"_

"Ok! Next question! Since you say that you cared. And since we shared so much. Why wasn't that enough to tell me you weren't happy with me? Like. You told Aubrey. I know you did. She told me. So if we were so close before, didn't that warrant me at least a little heads up?"

" _Beca. I wanted to. I just didn't know how. You seemed so happy with how things were, I didn't want to break that. I wanted to keep you happy."_

"By cheating on me?"

" _Beca, that's not-"_

"What? That's not what? Fair? That's not fair, Chloe? You no what. No. I didn't call to fight. I just need some answers. Did. Um. I mean. Was I not good? Like. In bed? Were you not. Um. Satisfied?" Beca winced at her own word, but she had to know.

" _Beca, oh my god. Really?"_

"Yes! Yes, really, Chloe. I need to know! I'd kinda like to know. Maybe I can get pointers from the next person. I mean shit. It's kind of hard to get better if no one tells you that you're bad. Shit. You know what. No. Maybe I should just ask Stacie for some pointers. She'll be honest."

" _Stacie? You're sleeping with Stacie?!"_

"What?! No! You don't have to be sleeping with someone to ask for advice, Chloe!"

" _Oh. Ok. No, Bec. Jesus, you were great in bed. I mean like toe curling fucking mind blowing orgasms kind of great. It wasn't that. You were very, uh, attentive."_

Beca didn't know if that made her feel better or worse. "So. It was love then." Beca sighed as her heart slowed to an agonizing rate and her shoulders froze. "You didn't love me. Right? You were looking for that spark with someone, and it wasn't me."

" _Beca. No. I loved you. So fucking much. I made a-"_

"Yeah. You know. I think we have different definitions of the word. Because I loved you. I loved you so much that it hurt sometimes. I would sit and think about you when we were apart and it was like my heart wasn't i my chest, because it was with you. You held it, and I let you keep it. I willingly gave you my heart, because I trusted you with it. I trusted you to carry it and protect it like you would your own. But instead, the minute things got hard for you, you threw it in the dirt. You didn't even trust me enough to tell me you were having doubts. You trusted Aubrey, but you didn't trust me."

Beca could hear her own voice breaking and wavering. But she couldn't stop. Not now. Pandora's box was opened. "You were my fucking everything, Chloe. You were the only fucking steady and certain thing in my life. At least I thought you were. I would've given you everything. Fuck. I did give you everything. I gave you all of me. I never once held anything back. I gave you the breath in my lungs. I gave you the blood in my veins. I gave you my heart and fucking soul. I was ready to give you my name. And you just. You just left. Like everyone else. Like all those other people who said they loved me. You told me you were different. You said it. I didn't imagine those words, Chloe. You said it and I trusted you because you were my best friend." Beca was sobbing at this point. Her breath was getting harder and harder to pull in.

" _Beca."_ Chloe sobbed. " _Becs, I didn't ever mean to hurt you! I swear it, Beca, please! I fucked up! I fucked up so fucking bad! And then the guilt just ate at me. And then our anniversary came and the guilt just went haywire, and you weren't there! I wanted to tell you but you weren't there when I woke up! I fucked up again! I got slobbering drunk and fucked up again! Please, Beca. I love you so fucking much!"_

Beca sobbed and screamed and hung up the phone. _Why did you do that, Beca?! You're so fucking stupid! So fucking stupid! You're a fucking idiot!_ Beca felt like she was trying to breath through a coffee straw. Her heart was beating like a jackhammer. She couldn't see due to the tears in her eyes. The room started to spin faster and faster until everything finally went black.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Hey hey guys! Here's an update for you guys. This one is Steca heavy so.. Surprise! No Smut. Sorry. I hope you enjoy this. Some revelations are made. And for those of you who are rooting for Stacie, you're going to be even more pissed at Chloe after reading this. At least I was, after I thought of it of course. Still not sure how the hell to bring Chloe down a couple notches. Obviously I plan on making her jealous of Stacie, but is that really enough? Will it hurt enough? Should I make her think that Beca wants her back and then squash her dreams? I just don't know.**

 **As always. Please let me know what you think. Mistakes are mine for sure.**

 **Confessional**

"It's been two fucking days, Amy. Two!" Stacie Paced the mansion's living room. "She won't talk to me. How the hell is she eating? I've sat by her door for hours trying to get her to let me in. What the hell happened? It's been fine! Then, all of a sudden, she won't come out of her room?"

"Stacie. Look, Legs. I know you're worried. But this is Beca effin Mitchell we're talking about. She's probably in there, holed up, making music."

"Amy. Her studio is on the first floor. Not up there."

"What? Oh, that's it. Not again."

Amy stormed her way to Beca's room and started pounding. She waited about ten seconds listening for a response. "Shawshank! If you don't open this door, I swear on my jelly wrestling trophies, that I will break it down!" She waited another 30 seconds. "Don't say I didn't warn you!" Amy took a few steps back and ran towards the door, busting through it with her shoulder.

Amy groaned and rocked holding her arm as she watched an amused Stacie stroll past her and wink.

Stacie stormed over to the lump on Beca's bed. "Beca! What the fuck?! Get your ass up!" She heard a groan but saw no movement. Stacie huffed. "Beca, if you don't sit up and tell me what the hell is wrong, I will throw you in the shower. Cold shower." Stacie stood there tapping her foot. _Oh, she is really fucking testing me right now._ "Ok. You asked for it." She ripped the blankets off the small brunette, and for a split second she almost stopped. She almost changed her mind. Seeing the small woman in the fetal position, staring blankly back at her, almost stopped her. Then she thought. _No. Beca doesn't need sympathy right now. Right now, she needs a swift kick in the ass. We can deal with the sympathy later, when she's actually fucking talking to me._ She grabbed the girl's feet and pulled her to the edge of the bed then, in one swift motion, had her over her shoulder.

Beca was light as a feather, but boy did she pack a mean punch. Stacie almost dropped her the few times Beca's flailing around actually landed a few on her back. She sat Beca in the shower and turned the cold water on full blast. Finally, Beca looked pissed.

"What the fuck, Stacie?!" Beca tried to get out of the shower, but Stacie just kept pushing her back in. "Dude! Let me the fuck out! I'm going to get hypothermia or some shit!"

"It's either hypothermia, or talking to me. Pick your poison, Mitchell."

"What?!" Beca gave Stacie an incredulous look. "Stacie, you can't be fucking serious."

"Try me."

Beca tried to glare but couldn't get it quite right due to her shivering. "Fine. Get me the fuck out of here."

Stacie nodded. "Fine." Stacie turned down the cold water and put some hot water in the mix. "Take a damn shower, Mitchell. You smell like shit. I'll put some clothes out for you." Stacie walked away from the gaping producer.

Amy smirked at Stacie as she left the bathroom. "Well. I guess that's one way to do it. Maybe you should be the one wrestling dingoes. I still get the jello though."

Stacie laughed. "Sure, Ames. Hey, could you do me a favor?"

"Depends. How much does this favor pay?"

"How about a whole day at the spa, on me of course. I just really need some time with Beca. I know you want some too, but I just want to try to pull her out of her head a bit before she takes you on." Stacie beamed at Amy.

"Ha! Jokes on you, Legs. I already had planned on leaving you here to deal with moody Beca. I have an apartment viewing. But yes. I will take your credit card and go to the spa."

Stacie handed Amy her card and watched as she walked over the broken doo. "Only the spa, Amy! I better not see any weird shit on my statement!"

"What?" Amy yelled as she left the room and went down the hall. "I'm sorry, were you saying something? I didn't quite catch that."

Stacie laughed and shook her head. _These two are going to be the death of me. I'm honestly glad the rest of the Bellas already left. I don't know if I'd be able to handle all of them right now._

About twenty minutes later Beca walked out of the bathroom, sporting nothing but a towel. Stacie had to pull all her strength out of her ass to keep from reacting. She closed her eyes when Beca dropped the towel to get dressed. A minute or so later Beca coughed.

"Um. So. Thanks, Legs. You know. Again."

"Nu uh. Sit. Talk." Stacie patted the spot next to her.

Beca sighed but did as she was told. She knew she owed Stacie at least that.

"Spill it, tiny."

"I. Um. Well. I kind of got lost in my head a few days ago. I couldn't stop thinking about everything, ya know?"

Stacie nodded but didn't say a word. Her eyes bored into Beca's urging her to continue.

"Well. I had some questions in my head that I couldn't get out. And. There was only one person who could answer them. So I called her. I called Chloe." Beca saw the look of shock that passed Stacie's face, but still Stacie said nothing. Beca went on to tell her the conversation she had with Chloe. She left nothing out. As she neared the end of the story, Stacie noticed how the brunette started to look smaller and smaller. It took everything in her not to pull Beca into a tight embrace. Beca needed to get this out, and Stacie knew it. "At the end. Um. She told me she loved me." Beca whispered those last words.

Stacie's eyes almost popped out of her head at the statement. She gulped and tried to push her emotions down. "So." Stacie coughed to clear her voice of said emotions. "How do you. Uh. How to you feel about that?" Stacie hated how her voice wavered, but she managed to not cry, so that's something right?

Beca huffed and fell back on the bed. "Dude. I don't even know. Like. What the fuck? What is that? How am I supposed to feel? You know? I mean, I know it was over three years ago but, I never let myself get over it I guess. I mean. Fuck, I don't know, Stace. I've been thinking on it since the call. Trying to sort my thoughts out, ya know? Like. Ok. She said she loves me, right?"

Stacie nodded.

"But she said that for the three fucking years that we were together, and yet she still cheated on me. So. What do those words even really mean coming out of her mouth? I mean, I can't say that I don't miss her because I do. But. I don't want her back. Like, not in that way I guess? But she was a big part of my life. I loved her. Like actually loved her. As a friend first and then a girlfriend. And then I think about how fucking pissed I am. I mean she ripped my fucking heart out, so how could I not be? I want her to suffer like I have. I want her to break like I have. And then I start feeling even more like shit, because that makes me a terrible person."

"No, Beca, it doesn't. It makes you human. That's all. I mean, shit, she didn't even do anything to me and I want her to suffer too! So what does that say about me?"

"That you're a good friend." Beca gave a slight smile.

"So why is it that I want something to happen and yet, to you, I'm still a good person? Why are you so hard on yourself, Beca? You try to carry the weight of the whole damn world on your shoulders, and I just don't understand why."

Beca sighed. "I don't know, Stace. I just don't get how I feel. Like. I miss my friend you know? But then when I think about being around her again it makes my stomach turn and I want to puke. How is that possible? Wanting someone in your life, but at the same time wanting them as far as possible from you?"

Stacie looked down ather hands. "I don't know, Beca. I wish I had the answer."

"I guess I just wish that I never dated her. If I had just stayed friends with her, then none of this would've happened. I guess that's why so many people choose not to date their friends. It changes the whole dynamic. If you end up in a nasty breakup, then not only do you lose a girlfriend but you lose a friend as well. And. That sucks."

Stacie rubbed her temples, trying to keep her own personal questions at bay. She just wants to help Beca. She wants her happy.

"You know what's funny?" Beca said while staring at the wall in front of her, sporting an actual smile.

Stacie looked up and couldn't help the quirk of her lips at the sight of her friend's smile. "What?"

"The day that Chloe asked me out, I had told Chloe that I was going to ask you out."

Stacie went frigid and wide eyed. "What?"

"Yeah. That's how the whole conversation got started. I had asked for help, but then she started crying and confessed her love for me or whatever. I kept telling her no, I didn't want to get attached and then her run off. She was my best friend. But eventually she convinced me that she wasn't leaving. And it's not like she's not attractive. And I already loved her as my best friend. I knew it wouldn't be hard to make the transition. And I was right. It wasn't. I fell for her hard and fast. I gave her everything because I trusted her. And then, boom, I lose my best friend and my girlfriend. And then I lose the rest of my friends because it's like my brain had a kill switch and decided I wasn't strong enough to deal with everything."

Stacie was still in shock. _She liked me? SInce fucking when? What the hell? Fuckin Chloe god damn Beale! Always in the way. Does she still like me? Shit. No. Shut it down, Stacie. Pull it together. She's just talking to you. That was six years ago._

"I honestly don't know if I'll ever let anyone in like that again. I mean. I couldn't even trust my best friend with my heart. I haven't even kissed anyone since her. I mean sure, I've fucked girls, but I never kiss them. Kissing is too intimate and I didn't want to get caught up in all that. Especially since I knew I didn't feel anything for them. It was easier to kick them out the next day if there was no intimacy."

"Wait wait wait." Stacie said shaking her head. "You haven't kissed anyone in three years? How is that even possible? That's like my favorite part. Apart from orgasms, of course."

Beca full on laughed. "Oh, but of course."

Stacie bit her lip. _Should I kiss her? I mean, what would I say if she rejects me? 'Oh Beca, I was just trying to help. No one should go that long without a good make out session.' Psh. Yeah. That'll work._ Stacie rolled her eyes at her own sarcasm. _And then, if I kiss her but then she finds someone else, will I be able to handle that?_

"What?" Beca asked.

"What, what?" Stacie returned looking completely confused.

"You rolled your eyes. Why?"

"I was just. Uh. I was just thinking."

"About?" Beca inquired.

"Kissing you." Stacie finally said, bluntly.

It was Beca's turn to be in shock. Stacie was quick to pick up on it.

"I just mean. I mean. Uh. Well. You haven't kissed someone in three years, Beca. And I'm willing to let you test the waters on me, ya know? Like maybe prepare you for your next girlfriend. Because eventually you will have one. And do you really want to be that out of practice when they come around?" _Oh, what the fuck did I just do?! What the fuck! Oh my God. Oh. My. God. for someone with a Ph. D. you are fucking dumb._

"Um. Stace. I don't. Uh. I mean. I don't think that's a good idea."

Stacie deflated a little at that. Yeah she kinda had word vomited all over Beca for a minute, but it's not like she wasn't being honest. Well. Mostly. She definitely wouldn't mind kissing , ok, that was the only truth in that. But Stacie was willing to go through the torture of Beca getting another lover, if it meant that she finally got to kiss the girl. At least once.

Beca saw her deflate and tried to salvage the situation. "I just mean, Stace, that it's not a good idea because I'm attracted to you. I don't want shit to get weird between us."

"Beca, it's better to kiss someone you're attracted to." Stacie was beaming on the inside at Beca's admission of attraction. But she had to play it cool. She knew Beca's fear of friends thanks to the red head across the country. She didn't want to pressure beca. She wanted Beca to develop her own feeling and come to her with them when she was ready. But she was definitely ok with kissing Beca. More than kissing if that's what Beca wanted. "Look, Shorty, I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend. We both know you're not ready for something like that with anyone. All I'm offering is my help. If you want it. Get your feet wet."

"Or something else wet." Beca playfully smirked at Stacie. She felt a little more at ease. Not sure why, but she thought it was that Stacie wasn't putting any pressure on her.

"You're such a perv!" Stacie laughed.

"Oh like you're not?!"

"Oh, no. I totally am. I just forgot how big of a perv you were back in college. You were the easiest to joke around with. Never took shit to heart. It was nice."

Beca laughed. _If you only knew._

"Well. I'm gonna head down and get something to eat. Amy is going to be out for a while so I don't have to worry about her threatening me with crocodile meat for the time being."

Beca nodded and Stacie stood up. As she went to step away, Beca grabbed her wrist. "Wait. Um. I just wanna try something." Beca pulled the girl back down to sit on the bed. "No pressure right?"

"Right." Stacie added trying to calm her nerves.

Beca slid her hand behind Stacie's neck and pulled her in. Before their lips touched, Beca looked in Stacie's eyes and asked. "You sure?" Stacie gave a slight nod and Beca closed the distance. Electric shocks ran through both girls. Beca chalked it up to not being with someone like this in so long. Their lips moved together perfectly. Stacie turned to face Beca better, and ran her right hand into the smaller girls hair to pull her closer. Beca bit Stacie's bottom lip eliciting a moan from the taller girl. Once the noise escaped Stacie's mouth, Beca slid her tongue inside. They both ground at this. Stacie didn't try to dominate. She let Beca take whatever she wanted.

When the kiss finally broke for air, both girls were panting. Stacie looked Beca in the eyes and Beca smirked. "Did I take your breath away, Legs?"

Stacie laughed kind of hysterically, trying to hide how true that statement was. "Sure, Mitchell. How about that lunch?"

"Yeeeeees! I'm starving, dude!"

"I can imagine, pipsqueak. Let's go."

"You know, It's not my fault that your legs go on for days. Just because your mother is Aphrodite, doesn't mean you get to pick on the rest of us lower beings."

Stacie laughed. _God, she's smooth. In a completely awkward but adorable way. How could Chloe fuck this up so bad?_

Both girls headed downstairs trying to sort everything out in their head. Beca trying not to attack Stacie, because she was pretty sure that, that, wasn't part of the deal. And she was incredibly turned on. Stacie was a hell of a kisser. Stacie was trying to calm her libido as well, but also trying to lock her emotions up in a safe little box in her brain until Beca was ready to hear about them.


End file.
